This year, Relay for Life's funding race slows

As charities across the country experience a falling off in donations, Columbia students feel the decline in philanthropy hitting close to home.

This year’s Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society event that Columbia hosts annually, will be held this Saturday. Fundraising is taking a hit from the struggling economy, and student organizers say that there has been a definite shift in students’ eagerness to donate money.

“There is a change in mentality,” Giselle Obregon, CC ’10 and co-chair of the Relay for Life event, said. “Most people feel like they really can’t give a dollar or as much as they used to. Even if it’s a dollar or two, they’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know.’”

Still, the event has already raised $46,254, only around $2,000 fewer than at this time last year, according to Obregon.

But Lisa Lewis, BC ’10 and chair of the recruitment and public relations committee, said that she thought the majority of the economic problems came last year, and that she expected to see similar numbers for this year’s event.

“Last year, the economy definitely had an impact. We raised by the end of the day around $72,000 and the year before we had raised $92,000,” Lewis said. “I think the bulk of the hit actually came last year, and that this year the fundraising total should be very similar.”

Still, she said that the Columbia Relay for Life seemed to be doing relatively well compared to others, which are experiencing a more dramatic decline. “I think that we’re lucky because a lot of Relays across the country cannot say the same thing,” she said.

But Lewis noted that participation seems to be lower still this year, with an estimated 700 people participating versus around 800 people the year before. Difficulties with the Web site had an impact in the number of students that registered, she said.

“We had a new Web site, and there was no link to it from the Columbia.edu page. In order to access the registration Web site, people had to know the address itself,” Lewis said. “I think people are procrastinating a little to sign up, which stresses us [committee members] out a little bit.”

But organizers still hold high hopes for the event and are keeping the purpose of the day—to call attention to and raise money for cancer research—in mind.

“At first people were hesitant to reach out to their families because they said no one had money and they felt bad asking,” Obregon said. “But then, with tons of PR and getting the word out, and having more people who want to help when they’ve lost a loved one to cancer, they [participants] really appreciate the effort that we’re making for cancer research.”

“Now, we’re getting so much attention—so many great reactions and responses from everybody. People are really excited,” she added.

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