DATE: March 26, 2009

CONTACT: Ro McCooey, 401-932-5193
cancer@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, 864-656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Clemson, USC students compete in Relay For Life

A house divided stands united to fight cancer

CLEMSON — Clemson and the University of South Carolina will use their rivalry to fight cancer as the two schools compete in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. Events will take place on both campuses Friday, April 3, to see which school can have the most participants and raise the most money for the American Cancer Society.

Clemson’s event will take place on the lower intramural fields, located in front of Fike Recreation Center. The event will kick off at 5 p.m. with a celebratory team captains lap, followed at 6:30 p.m. by the survivors lap for people who have fought and continue to fight cancer. Caregivers of cancer patients then will take a lap around the track.

At 9 p.m., they will light more than 2,000 candles for a luminary ceremony, which will include a slide show and a performance by the Clemson Gospel Choir. Following the  ceremony, there will be a performance by the Afroflow Tour Group, a collaboration of spoken word, hip-hop and instrumental artists that travels the country supporting the American Cancer Society and promoting healthy lifestyles on college campuses.

At midnight, there will be a special tribute marking the 25th anniversary of Relay For Life and to celebrate the accomplishments of the American Cancer Society.

USC’s Relay For Life will take place at the same time, with events being broadcast live between the two campuses.

So far, a record 85 teams have registered for Clemson’s Relay, with more than 1,000 participants and more than $61,000 raised.

“The competition has sparked a new energy on our campus, and I am excited to see how many more people are interested in fighting cancer and the Gamecocks at the same time,” said Ro McCooey, a senior communication studies major from Matunuck, R.I., and chairwoman of Clemson’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.

For more information on the event and how to make a donation or purchase a luminary, visit http://www.clemsonrelay.org.