Fifty teams and 419 participants came out for Bowdoin’s Relay for Life last Friday, raising a total of $45,750 for the American Cancer Society.
The all-night relay began at 6 p.m. in Farley Field House and finished at 6 a.m. Saturday, with lots of music, food and entertainment in between.
The largest staff contingent was made up of mostly Bowdoin housekeepers. Hope Marden, who’s been a housekeeper at Bowdoin for three years, put together a 12-person team of eight housekeepers, her husband, her 91-year-old mother in law and two friends. She said they raised well over $900.
“We had a great time,” Marden said. “It was hard work; most of us had been up since 3 or 4 in the morning, but we hung in there. Only a couple of us took naps.” One of her teammates brought a pedometer, which clocked her at 12 miles. Marden says she probably walked upwards of 15 to 16 miles.
Marden said her two-year-old grandson has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma and she wanted to do her part to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.
Women’s Soccer was the biggest fundraiser, raising $5,300. The top participant was Jorge Bravo, a visiting professor in the Classics department and member of the Bowdoin Queers and Allies Team. Bravo raised $1,250.
The annual event is organized and run by students as part of the Bowdoin Volunteer Corps.
