Every year, nearly 1.6 million people in the U.S. begin a race for their lives. And every year, over four million people begin a race to help them.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is a fundraiser held across the world. Participants encourage friends and family to pledge money with the promise that they will walk for 24 hours. While the walking effort is usually divided between members of a team, the impact is no less admirable. Relay for Life raises millions of dollars annually to go toward cancer research, support and scholarships.

For the past eight years, Gannon has participated in this philanthropic event. In fact, holding its own relay on the rec’s intramural field, GU raised $12,000 just last year.

Gannon’s relay team may be considered one of the biggest clubs at the university because individual participants as well as other clubs join to aid the fight against cancer.

The 2012 Relay for Life is April 27, beginning at 1 p.m. For more information, check out their web page.

Gannon students also raise money for cancer research through their Pink Zone basketball games. You can read about those here.