Posted on April 23, 2007
Saturday night was an evening of tributes as Relay for Life took over Godwin Field and Bridgeforth Stadium.
“I have people in my family who have had cancer,” junior Justin Scuiletti said. “It’s important to be here for the survivors.”
Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the nation-wide event pulls in a variety of JMU students, who often form teams with employers, fraternity and sororities or group of friends who care about the issue.
“We pulled our team together from a group of our friends,” junior Ashley Gutshall said. “We originally had ten members, but in the last week it grew to 16.”
The event began around 4 p.m., as participants erected tents on Godwin Field and stocked their selected area with snacks and supplies. Participants milled around the field, enthusiastically greeting each other, many clad in brightly colored t-shirts representing their organization.
Harrisonburg Mayor Rodney Eagle spoke at the opening ceremony at 7 p.m., offering words of encouragement for the Relay for Life participants and a moment of silence for the victims of the recent Virginia Tech shooting.
In light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, there were various memorials and tributes from individual teams that were visible on their team T-shirts, signs and tents. During the first lap, survivors of cancer paid tribute to Virginia Tech, recognizing the similarities of their tragedies.
“There is really a lot of support for [Virginia] Tech,” freshman Chelsea Gutshall said.
Ashley and Chelsea Gutshall were motivated to form a team as their mother, a breast cancer survivor, used to be part of a team. They wanted to start their own team while they still had time with each other.
“Chelsea and I will always do this together because it’s something we have experienced together in our lifetimes,” Ashley Gutshall said. “We only have two years at JMU together, and we really want to make the best of it.”
They cited their recently deceased grandfather as another motivation for participating. Chelsea recently honored her grandfather by nominating her grandmother for the “Caregiver of the Year,” which she won.
“It’s great to be here with everyone else for the same goal,” senior Karol Mendoza said. “We have to be here to remember those who have gone but still be here for those in the future.”
The sisters and their team planned on participating in a number of events throughout the evening, including a lip-synching contest.
“We’re planning on lip-synching to the Spice Girls in order to earn team points, Ashley Gutshall said.
One of the highlights of the event was lighting the luminarias, with the flame of the bags becoming a symbol for those who have lost their lives to cancer.
The white bags the candles were placed in were decorated by the teams. The bags were covered with hearts, words, printed pictures of participants embracing those they have lost, and tributes to those killed at Virginia Tech. When the bags were grouped together and lit, they spelled out the phrase “JMU HOPE,” which glowed in the dark stadium.
“I think the best part is when they turn off all of the lights and the luminaries really shine,” Ashley Gutshall said. “It’s so beautiful, really an incredible sight to see.”
