FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MANHATTAN COLLEGE JOINS THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IN FIRST ANNUAL RELAY FOR LIFE

The College Hosts Overnight Event To Raise Funds for Cancer Research

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College is joining forces with the American Cancer Society to hold its first annual Relay For Life event on Saturday, March 27 beginning at 5:00 p.m. through Sunday, March 28 ending at 10:00 a.m in the College’s Draddy Gymnasium.  Partly led by Manhattan College students with the guidance of the College’s campus ministry and social action department, the overnight event is designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research, programs and awareness for the local office of the American Cancer Society.  Manhattan College is only the third university in New York City and the first college in the Bronx to host Relay For Life on its campus.

Relay For Life, a community-based program designed to be a fun-filled overnight event, involves teams of people who will take turns walking or running laps in the College’s gym.  Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.  Cancer survivors, including some Manhattan College students, will speak about their experiences winning the battle against cancer.  Meanwhile, attendees throughout the night will enjoy food, live entertainment and other programming such as games, belly dancing sessions, karaoke, kickboxing and free massages while their teammates walk for the cause.

 Each dollar raised from the relay will support the American Cancer Society as it leads the fight against cancer and aims to empower more people to conquer the disease in their own lives.  The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based health organization headquartered in Atlanta, Ga.  The organization has state divisions and more than 3,400 local offices.  Relay For Life, which was established more than 15 years ago, continues to be the group’s largest and most popular event.

All are encouraged to participate.  To find out how to form a team or join one, please contact Kinah Ventura in the College’s campus ministry and social action department at (718) 862-7477.  If you are a member of the press and wish to cover this event, please contact Melanie A. Farmer at (718) 862-7232.

Manhattan College is located at West 242nd Street near Broadway in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, one mile from the Westchester County line and accessible by MTA subway lines 1 and 9.

Manhattan College was founded in 1853 upon the Lasallian tradition of excellence in teaching, inspired by St. John Baptist de La Salle.  Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science.  For more information about the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life fund-raiser, please visit http://www.cancer.org.  For more information about the College, visit us online at http://www.manhattan.edu.

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