August 16, 2012
The American Cancer Society has ranked St. John’s University
seventh on its Top-10 list of Eastern Division College events for
raising over $80,000 in the prominent Relay for Life event. The
Eastern Division includes several other national universities
located in New York and New Jersey and together raised
$997,000.
A total of 1,462 St. John’s students, administrators and staff
participated in this year’s Relay for Life all-night walkathon held
in Carnesecca Arena in April.
The event kicked off with a traditional Survivor Walk and
Luminaria ceremony to begin the all-night vigil which concluded at
6 a.m. the following morning. Luminarias (glowing memorials),
purchased in honor of loved ones and friends who have experienced
cancer, were strategically placed around the walls of the
arena.
Relay for Life is an overnight relay-style event where team
members take turns walking for the duration of the event. The event
was created by Dr. Gordy Klatt in the mid 1980’s and has grown to
more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United
States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries,
gathering to take part in this global phenomenon and raising
much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer.
For media inquiries contact the Office of Media Relations at St.
John’s by calling, (718) 990-6847, or by e-mail to mediarelations@stjohns.edu.