Relay For Life returns to Gordon Field House

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, an in-person Relay For Life — one of the largest annual fundraisers held at Rochester Institute of Technology — returns April 2, with more than 1,000 participants expected.

Relay For Life is a 12-hour fundraiser by the RIT community to fight cancer, said Megan Germansky, president of the American Cancer Society on Campus at RIT, a club that has organized Relay For Life for more than 10 years.

The event is held from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to signify that cancer never sleeps.

Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members are encouraged to participate either in person, or by donating.

“The event is not a relay race, so no one has to run,” Germansky said. “We encourage one member from each relay team to be walking the track at all times, and team members switch this role during the event.” 

Cancer survivors and caregivers, including health care workers, will be honored and are urged to participate. In addition, luminaria bags will be dedicated to remember loved ones. Donations to have a dedicated luminaria may be made online.

“Cancer is something that affects nearly everyone in one way or another,” said Micki Geffert, a third-year biomedical engineering major from Oxford, Conn. She is a supervisor and general technician on RIT’s Tech Crew, which has been a top fundraiser at each of RIT’s Relay For Life event since 2013, averaging more than $10,000 in annual donations.

She said Tech Crew sponsors a team each year for the relay that started in memory of Ben Zuckoff and Darren Hansen, who were Tech Crew alumni and succumbed to cancer, as well as club members past and present facing bouts of cancer, along with their friends, family, survivors, and caregivers.

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