"See, this is all about philanthropy."
"The people are running, I'm just not sure why."
"I came for the glowsticks."
The explanations of just what this Relay for Life was all about tended to vary depending on who you asked, but a theme was there--it was midnight, there were upwards of two hundred people on the Upper Quad, and there was music.
Therefore, it was a party.
Of course, there were those who knew exactly what it was about, like the woman who pointed to the ribbon on her shirt and said, "It's for my aunt." Yet she was glad to see the revelers anyway, and every brownie and raffle ticket they bought was another dollar towards saving her mother's sister.
So, for all of you who are still wondering what exactly did happen Saturday night and Sunday morning, there's your answer. You helped to save a life.
"Relay for Life is the biggest fundraiser the American Cancer Society puts on each year. High schools, communities, colleges all host events like the one here at Hopkins to help raise funds for cancer research," said director Shawn Kelley.
While glow sticks flew overhead, hundreds of Hopkins students and community members sat under tarps and in tents, dedicated to spending an entire night on the quad, showing solidarity and support for their cause, not to mention raising money.
"Hopkins brought in $35,000 last year," explained Kelley. "We're on track to do the same this year."
Raffle tickets were a big seller this year, with prizes ranging from CenterStage tickets to Eddie Murray autographed baseballs (which a large portion of the crowd misattributed to comedian Eddie Murphy).
Kelley and many others also relied on the tried and true letter writing campaign, which helped to raise a sizeable portion of the year's cash.
A main part of the event is the relay itself. Runners had been jogging the perimeter of the quad throughout the evening, the goal being that every team should always have a walker or runner in action. While it seemed that a majority of the teams had decided to call it a night and enjoy the party, a few stalwarts jogged through most of the festivities. As the night wore on, they had to use some creative agility to pass through chains of gyrating college students doing the twist, particularly when headlining act DEFAWNK proved the aptness of their name by unleashing a three-man horn section as the Gilman tower announced midnight.
The always clever FlimFlam set the evening off to a quixotic beginning with lyrics covering melting chocolate, time machines, balloons, ducks, liquor, perhaps some select passages from an economics textbook, all backed up with some mellow guitar work. It's difficult to convey the effect that they have on an audience--suffice it to say that it's not unlike the frolicking of Dorothy and friends through the poppy fields of Oz.
The wall of sound came crashing down with the arrival of DEFAWNK, who brought together all eight members of the band for a two and a half-hour extended funk jam that covered everything from "I Feel Good" with a rather angelic James Brown work-over by Becca Messner to big bang explosions of bass and horns that led one listener to exclaim, "Very, very good. Very good. Very, very good."
Even as DEFAWNK wound up their gig at 2:30 on Sunday morning, the relay teams were just beginning their quad camping trip. Teams stayed until 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, when they jogged one final lap and held closing ceremonies.
According to Kelley, last year saw 37 teams of supporters spending the evening, 34 of which were composed entirely of students. She guessed there were even more this year.
"The turnout this year has been positively amazing," she said.
What made the event all the more impressive, Kelley said, was that with the exception of her, the entire planning committee was made up of students.
"I'm the only staff person here," she said. "My co-chair is a sophomore."
Though the relay certain wasn't standard Saturday night fare, the event provided enough entertainment so that students enjoyed the evening.
"There was a Miss Relay Pageant where guys dressed up like women to win money," said sophomore Kaitlin Flynn. "Even people who weren't actually walking stopped by during the evening just to check out what we were up to."
Flynn participated with a group of nine other friends. Most of her group was made up of her teammates from the track & field team.
"It was a real nice change of pace for a Saturday night on campus," she said.
With groups that included Kelley's co-workers from the Hopkins Medical campus, student organizations, teams from the Hopkins School of Nursing, and six Residential Advisor groups, among others, the 2005 Hopkins Relay for Life was a logistical and monetary triumph for the American Cancer Society.
"Everyone has just been so supportive and responsible," said Kelley. "It couldn't have gone better."
In all likelihood, anyone and everyone who bought cookies, won raffle prizes, and pranced around to FlimFlam and DEFAWNK for one long Saturday night couldn't have agreed more.
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