The UB Against Cancer club will kick off the annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life at UB with an information session March 1 in the Student Union.

Club members will be in the union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. providing information and raising awareness about the American Cancer Society and its fight to end the disease in advance of UB’s annual Relay For Life event April 16-17 in Alumni Arena. Those interested in participating in the Relay For Life can sign up online or in person on March 1.

UB’s Relay For Life is one of 6,000 such events worldwide. During these relays, individuals and teams camp out and take turns walking or running around a track “relay-style” to raise funds to fight cancer. At nightfall, participants light hundreds of luminaria around the track to honor cancer survivors, as well as remember those who have died from the disease.

Last year’s Relay For Life at UB raised $61,031, an amount the club hopes to surpass this year.

UB Against Cancer, led by management student Zachary Morrison, meets year-round to plan the Relay For Life event on the UB campus. It also coordinates other cancer fundraising efforts by UB social, educational and special interest clubs throughout the year.  

After losing a close family friend to cancer, Morrison works hard to fight for this cause.

“Everyone in our committee is dedicated to furthering the mission of Relay For Life because we all know what it means to have been affected by cancer,” Morrison says. “Whether they’ve been diagnosed themselves or know someone who has, we all understand that it is a disease that connects us all.”

UB Against Cancer meets every Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm at the Intercultural and Diversity Center, 240 Student Union.

“[Cancer] is something that everyone should recognize and believe that one day it can be cured,” Morrison says.  

Those interested in taking part in this year’s Relay For Life can sign up at the event’s website.