Coastal raises $1 million for Relay for Life

Since 2007, Coastal Carolina University has been raising money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) through Relay for Life. This year, just days before the event, they finally reached their $1 million goal.

Each year, CCU partners with the ACS for the annual Relay for Life. The event invites students and community organizations to set up tables as vendors and raise funds to be donated towards cancer patients.

Troy Matheny, Community Manager at the ACS, said that the money helps by providing assistance to cancer cure research, helping patients afford treatment, aiding in getting patients to their treatments and even providing wigs to patients.

“Our mission is to save lives and celebrate lives and to fight back,” said Matheny.

Last year alone, South Carolina raised nearly $4 million through different fundraising events, like Relay for Life, to help patients find treatments and fund research. Although these programs are essential, not all treatment facilities are easily accessible to patients.

“We may have all these treatments, we may be finding a cure, but if patients can’t get to their treatment then we have wasted that,” said Matheny.

To provide assistance, South Carolina’s ACS offers the Road to Recovery program, which takes patients to and from their treatments as many times as needed.

This year’s Relay for Life took place over the weekend on April 7, 2018. Through donations and sponsorships, CCU was able to raise over $100,000 in donations for the ACS. Vendors had life size pong games, dance marathons, homemade food and much more.

Events like Relay for Life are essential to raising funds to help those battling cancer. Even if cancer has never touched anyone that you know, many people struggle with the battle daily. Cure research and seemingly simple things like a wig can make a big difference to someone’s cancer battle.

For more information on the Myrtle Beach ACS or this year’s Relay for Life visit: relay.acsevents.org