Record numbers volunteer in Relay for Life

Friday, April 30, 2010

With almost 600 participants and 69 teams, this year’s University Relay for Life has doubled its participation from last year. However, with volunteers set to walk around the Memorial Stadium track for 12 hours starting at 7 tonight, the group is still about $15,500 short of its goal.

Volunteers have generated about $22,500, which is $10,500 short of last year’s total and well shy of this year’s goal of $38,000.

However, Amanda Easley, a sophomore from Junction City and vice president of the University’s Relay for Life, said she was not concerned.

“It’s not that we are far behind or we’re not where we need to be,” Easley said. “We will meet our goal, if not surpass it.”

Carolyn Haller, a junior from Alma and president of KU’s Relay for Life, said the increase of teams came from several different places, including Greek houses, student organizations and self-formed groups.

“We have a lot more of everything,” Haller said. “We even have a Baker team this year.”

Last year the University’s Relay for Life raised about $33,000, which surpassed its goal of $32,000.

While participation this year is high, the fund raising is coming in slow. Fund raising is not a problem seen only at the University.

“Unfortunately fund raising in general is down, but it is especially seen at the university level,” said Katie Lord, community manager of development for the Lawrence-Topeka area.

Lord said an increase in participation and shortage of funding was something she only saw at the University. In other areas the funding has matched any increases in participation.

Megan Waggy, a sophomore from Philadelphia, is participating as a member for Alpha Chi Omega sorority. The sorority has two teams and 25 total participants. She met her fund raising goal this year, but said she could see the economy hurting efforts.

“It is definitely much harder to fund-raise right now,” said Waggy.

Waggy said she had a lot of friends and family that donated to the cause, but she knew it was harder for some of her teammates to ask friends and family this year.

The suggested fund raising goal for each participant was $100, but Haller said they would accept whatever people could donate.

— Edited by Taylor Bern

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