FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University will host its 11th annual Relay For Life fundraiser Friday, April 5, from 4 to 9 p.m. in the University’s William H. Pitt Center. This year’s theme is Hawaiian Getaway.
Relay For Life (or ReLei For Life as this year’s organizers are calling it) is a walk-a-thon that raises money for the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research and assist patients and their caregivers. The event also celebrates people who have survived cancer. Registration is $15 per person, and participants are asked to solicit donations through pledges. Event organizers hope to raise $25,000 this year.
Unlike past years, this year’s Relay will not be 24 hours. The University’s chapter of Relay For Life is now considered a “DIY” event because there is no adviser from the American Cancer Society attending the chapter’s planning meetings. This gives the University more leeway in planning, so Erica Heins, who is chairing the event, decided to shorten it so more of the community can commit to the entire event.
“Relay is about raising money to find a cure so there can be more birthdays and more survivors. It is about working with others, such as our committee members, to put on an amazing event. Relay For Life is a celebration of life,” says Heins. She has been assisted in the planning process by Alyssa Pezzella, who was last year’s top fundraiser and is now a graduate student here at SHU.
The Relay will begin with a survivors lap. Food, games and an inflatable rock wall will be available, and a DJ and other performers will entertain as well.
To create or join a team, or to make a donation, visit www.relayforlife.org/sacredheart.
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus, which is located about an hour from Manhattan and 2.5 hours from Boston. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. More than 8,500 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, yet at the same time develops students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives and professions and in their communities. A spirit of service, entrepreneurship and social justice is the essence of who we are and can be seen inside and outside the classroom as students learn how to make a difference far beyond Fairfield. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 384 Colleges–2019 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Happiest Students” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu