SVSU students to raise Relay For Life funds via Facebook event

Saginaw Valley State University students are determined to not allow one health crisis to disrupt their fight to end another health crisis. 

 

With health experts recommending crowds not gather during the COVID-19 pandemic, SVSU student organizers will turn to Facebook as a venue for its annual Relay For Life event, which raises funds supporting American Cancer Society causes. The social media-based session is scheduled Friday, April 24, from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

 

Elizabeth Simon, an English literature major from Bay City, serves as co-chair of the student-run event organized by the SVSU chapter of Colleges Against Cancer. The gathering originally was scheduled to commence in the university's Ryder Center, which served as the site of the event for years. Then COVID-19 forced organizers to change their plans.

 

"We all know that SVSU students have the spirit and determination to accomplish anything,” she said. “We want to keep the spirit of Relay alive, and by making the event virtual, we can do that.” 

 

On Friday, videos will be posted on a Facebook page. Student and staff leaders from SVSU will appear in recorded messages. A message from a cancer survivor and a musical performance from the band Lochaven also will be shared via video there.

 

Annabelle Midcalf, the event's other co-chair, said she was happy Colleges Against Cancer acted quickly to prevent SVSU's Relay For Life from being canceled. 

 

“We believe this event will allow people to release some anxiety and stress relating to COVID-19, and will help us realize that we together – as a community – can still do good in this world, even when sometimes we feel we aren’t doing enough,” said Midcalf, a biology major from Saginaw. 

 

Those interested in donating online to the SVSU Relay for Life cause can visit www.relayforlife.org/svsumi. 

 

SVSU's Relay For Life Friday event will be streamed on Facebook at the following URL: https://bit.ly/3bvoniA