McMaster’s Engineering Society and McMaster’s Relay For Life host a Halloween-themed fundraising event to support the Canadian Cancer Society
McMaster’s chapter of Relay For Life and the McMaster Engineering Society came together to host their first Haunt for a Cure event on Oct. 26, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The event was held at the John Hodgins Engineering Field and aimed to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Co-president of McMaster's Relay For Life, Emma Detomasi, expressed excitement about the collaboration ahead of the event.
“In a sense, it’s a mini Relay for Life event. All the funds that are raised go through McMaster relay directly to the Canadian Cancer Society … There’s going to be a luminary ceremony which is meant to honour survivors. There’s going to be cancer survivors coming to speak at the event and alongside that all the people attending the event are going to be doing different activities,” said Detomasi.
Chloe Ko, the survivors and ceremonies coordinator of Relay For Life, highlighted that her favourite part of the event is the luminary ceremony held on the John Hodgins Engineering Field. “Everybody gets a bag, it's called a luminary and they get to write why they relay ... we put a candle in it, and w light them all up and line the track with them. We just get to have a solemn moment around the track,” she said.
The main part of the event was the luminary walk-a-thon to honour lives affected by cancer. Attendees also enjoyed live music and activities including sports, line dancing and games. Tickets were sold through Eventbrite at $15 for general admission and $10 for McMaster students.
The planning for the event was a joint effort between McMaster Relay for Life and the engineering society, made possible through Kristina Siiman. Siiman is the other co-president of McMaster Relay for Life and a community integration coordinator for the McMaster Engineering Society.
“It’s our first time running it [Haunt for a Cure]. It’s in association with the McMaster Engineering Society … but all the funds go to McMaster Relay ... We’re hoping to make it an annual thing,” said Detomasi.
Both Detomasi and Ko noted the significance of including stories from cancer survivors at this event. “That’s another great way for people to feel like what they’re doing has an impact because they’re hearing it from a survivor, someone who’s walked through this journey themselves ... It’s also really great for survivors who attend the event," said Ko.
As they look to the future, both leaders expressed hope for the event’s growth. “It’s our [Relay at Mac's] 20th year and we’ve raised over 1.25 million dollars,” said Detomasi.
It’s our [Relay at Mac's] 20th year and we’ve raised over 1.25 million dollars.
Emma Detomasi, Co-President
McMaster Relay For Life
Detomasi and Ko encouraged students to get involved, emphasizing that even small contributions can lead to significant change. “Even though you are one person attending the event, just showing up, it does make a huge difference,” said Ko.
“Life is bigger than cancer. Together, we are bigger than cancer,” concluded Ko, summarizing the spirit of the event.
Life is bigger than cancer. Together, we are bigger than cancer.
Chloe Ko, Survivors and Ceremonies Coordinator
McMaster Relay for Life
The inaugural Haunt for a Cure event provided both a fun and festive atmosphere and reinforced the importance of community support in the fight against cancer. Keep up with McMaster Relay for Life and the McMaster Engineering Society through their social media platforms for future events, information and more!
Students donated their hair at halftime during the Shoot for the Cure women's basketball game
On Jan. 17, McMaster Athletes Care hosted their Shoot for the Cure initiative aimed towards awareness and fundraising for breast cancer research.
The event comes as the 17th annual edition run by the national U Sports organization to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and additional related charities. Last year, collective efforts by U Sports and Canadian university sports teams and communities helped to bring in a total of $115,000.
The event comes as the 17th annual edition run by the national U Sports organization to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and additional related charities.
This season, the McMaster University women’s basketball team set up a fundraising page on the CCS website to donate pledges towards research for improving cancer treatments, prevention and support services.
On Jan. 17, the Marauders hosted the University of Guelph Gryphons in a match at Burrduge Gymnasium in Hamilton. During halftime of the women’s basketball game, volunteers received haircuts to help support the initiative.
During halftime of the women’s basketball game, volunteers received haircuts to help support the initiative.
Along with the haircuts, t-shirts were also sold for $15 by McMaster Athletes Care, with proceeds going towards the CCS.
The Shoot for the Cure event will run from Jan. 17 to 31. Donations can be made generally to the CCS or towards registered Shoot for the Cure participants and teams through their website. So far, the Nipissing University Lakers have raised the most money across participating universities, collecting $3,541.06 out of their $5,000 goal.
Per the CCS’ Impact page, donations will go towards funding cancer research, government and policy advocacy and developing a country-wide cancer support system.
McMaster’s Terry Fox Club is hosting their first run since the start of the pandemic on Sept. 21 at McMaster Track Field
McMaster University has been hosting a Terry Fox run since the tradition began in 1984. In 2020 and 2021, the event had to be conducted virtually due to COVID-19, but this year, on Sep. 21 at 10:30 a.m., the Terry Fox Club is bringing the tradition back to campus.
The Terry Fox Club at McMaster raises money for the Terry Fox Foundation, who donates the funds for cancer research. The club also hosts several fundraisers throughout the year, though their most notable is still the annual Terry Fox Run.
Despite limitations during the peak of the pandemic, the Terry Fox Club continued to host events over the past two years year. The club hosted one event last year where they sold T-shirts and bracelets and raised $700. With their in person events this year, they hope they can surpass that record.
The Terry Fox Run will take place on the McMaster Track Field and will begin with speeches, followed by the self-paced run. Towards the end of the event, there will also be closing speeches.
Kristine Braun, vice president of the Terry Fox Club, along with the rest of the team are very excited to be bringing the run back to McMaster for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
“I'd say a lot of people are coming to campus right now for the first time. And I think one thing that they can bring from high school is Terry Fox, in a sense, because he's always around, like through our childhood, through high school. And this is one way that we can get out there and then also support a good cause like cancer research,” said Braun.
"I think one thing that they can bring from high school is Terry Fox, in a sense, because he's always around, like through our childhood, through high school."
Kristine Braun, vice president, Terry Fox Club
The Terry Fox Club hopes that students participating in their event also have the opportunite to meet other students
Braun explained the club will also be hosting a fundraising competition for students living on residence. Each residence is encouraged to raise between $500-$1000 and the residence that can raise the most will receive a prize.
“That's a way that the residences can also connect during September since they're all meeting each other for the first time. It all adds a little bit of fun to the whole event,” said Braun.
For more information visit the Terry Fox Club via their Instagram @TerryFoxMcMaster.
