NEWBURGH – Mount Saint Mary College’s eighth annual Relay for Life earned more than $21,000 for the American Cancer Society, thanks to the efforts of students, faculty, staff, and volunteers from the community.
About 300 members of more than 30 teams took turns walking laps from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to honor those who have or were lost to cancer and to raise money for a cure.
Survivors, including students, faculty, and alumni, were guests of honor.
The Mount Relay Leadership Committee was spearheaded by Briana Cherwinski of Valatie, N.Y., Shannon Ryan of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Marissa Siegel of Selden, N.Y.
Relay participant and cancer survivor, Diana Pernicano of Yorktown Heights, N.Y. said that her battle against the illness began in fall 2013 when she found a lump in her neck during a hands-on lesson in a nursing class. She credits the Mount course with saving her life.
Pernicano received treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma immediately, and is now cancer free.
“As nursing students, we’re taught to spread healthy habits,” she noted. “Relay for Life is all about healthy programs and habits, so it’s helped me to become a better nurse.”
The Mount’s Relay for Life was sponsored by the Colleges Against Cancer Club, the Student Activities Office, and the American Cancer Society. It has raised about $225,000 to fight cancer in the last eight years.
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