Mississippi State University students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to recognize individuals who are battling or have battled cancer at MSU’s Relay for Life from noon until 10 p.m. Friday in the Junction on MSU’s campus.
Jaleshia Meeks, head of the Relay for Life committee and senior international business major, said she has been on the committee for the past three years, and this year has lined up a lot of exciting entertainment.
“We have the band Follow Apollo playing at 2:30 p.m. The ballroom dance club is performing we’ll have Zumba and Blitz show choir,” Meeks said. “Also, starlight dancers, Terpsichore and the student fashion association will be putting on a fashion show.”
Relay for Life events are held in over 20 countries to raise funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Meeks said the goal this year was to raise $40,000, and they have already had $16,684 donated.
“I’m really excited, and I would really like for us to reach our goal and to get everyone on campus involved because there are students, faculty and staff that battle cancer everyday on campus, and we walk by them and don’t even know,” Meeks said.
Claire Wilson, senior communication major and a sponsorship chair on the Relay for Life committee, said Relay for Life is an important event and she is looking forward to it.
“I love relay for life. It’s a cause that’s very close to my heart. My mom has had melanoma, and a close family friend had throat cancer,” Wilson said. “All of this happened around the time I heard about the opportunity to be on the planning committee last year, so I think it was kind of destined for me to be a part of it.”
Wilson said she loves seeing which teams have the best tents, and she really enjoys seeing the MSU family come together for such a great cause. She also said she is a big fan and close friends with some of the members of Follow Apollo, the afternoon entertainment for Friday.
“I’m so excited for Follow Apollo to play at Relay. They were already coming into town to play a gig, and when I found out we still had entertainment spots to fill, I knew I could count on them,” Wilson said. “I’ve known those guys for years. They’re great people, and their music is a lot of fun to experience. I’m proud of them.”
Kyle Bragwell, singer and guitarist for Follow Apollo, said this will be the second time the band has performed at Relay for Life. Bragwell described the band, made up of five friends from the Muscle Shoals area in Alabama, as one that doesn’t limit itself to a certain type of music, but that most closely falls under the Alt-Rock genre. He said his band was eager to perform.
“One of my best friends lives in Starkville and got us the Relay show. She was really the only tie we had to the city before we started playing there. We love it. Last time we played was after the MSU vs. Auburn game, and that of course was wild,” Bragwell said. “This will be our third visit to Starkville and it’s one of our favorite cities to play in. The people are really great.”
Opening ceremonies and the cancer survivor lap will start at 6 p.m. For additional information on Relay for Life at MSU and to donate or sign up, visit main.acsevents.org or call JuLeigh Baker at (662)325-2141.
