It all began with a boy and his dream.
ENC hosted its first ever Relay for Life event April 15 in the Lahue Gymnasium. Freshmen Aaron Hebert led the charge to bring the fight of cancer to our own front door. He and ten other students created a committee that consisted of mostly freshmen.
Hebert was an active member in the American Cancer Society before attending ENC. He participated in his hometown relays growing up in Gardner, Mass. He helped organize these events for a very personal reason. His grandfather, a member of the Relay for Life Gardner Planning Committee, has been diagnosed twice with Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer that weakens the immune system, making it progressively more difficult to recover from illness.
The event began with the opening ceremony at 8:30pm. Every hour presented new activities and a new theme. These activities included karaoke, hula hoop, limbo, and many others.
Hebert said the attendees seemed to enjoy Family Feud and Newlyfriends games the most, since they had the biggest turnout. There were 42 people that stayed throughout the entire night.
There are only three events that the American Cancer Society requires each event to have: Opening ceremony, the Luminaria ceremony, and the closing ceremony.
“My favorite event is the Luminaria ceremony because it is a time to remember those lost to cancer. It is a time of remembrance and quiet,” Hebert said.
Junior Jessica Franco explained why she thinks the event is important for a college campus.
“While we’re in college we are so focused on our homework and exams we often forget the bigger struggles of life that people are facing. It is important for college students to get involved, especially as Christians, in something that is much bigger than us,” Franco said.
Participants of the relay raised $6,200, and are expected to raise more as athletic teams are still conducting fundraisers to help the cause.