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DePauw's 'Relay For Life' Wins National Award

DePauw's 'Relay For Life' Wins National Award

October 3, 2001

October 3, 2001, Greencastle, Ind. - "It's still sinking in." DePauw senior Heather Walker has just learned that the 2001 Putnam County Relay For Life, which she co-chaired with senior Rebecca Hedge, has been recognized by the American Cancer Society as the best college Relay in the United States.

Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "How DePauw Won" 470KB]"It's not based on the amount of money raised," Walker says. "Obviously, being a smaller school in a less-populated county, we're at a disadvantage when it comes to that." She says ACS evaluates a number of different categories, including how an event helps increase cancer education and awareness. "We had a cancer control carnival. Those sorts of efforts are what they're recognizing and it's really nice that they do," assessed Walker.

The 2001 Putnam County Relay For Life, held May 5-6, 2001, collected approximately $80,000, a growth of nearly 100% from the previous year. More than 830 walkers from 61 teams participated -- 41 from DePauw, 21 from throughout Putnam County. There were more than a thousand people on hand for a luminaria ceremony that was dedicated to the memory of Polly Marchese, a DePauw senior who succumbed to leukemia one week before the event.

"We did more than raise important funds to fight cancer," says co-chair Rebecca Hedge from Australia, where she is studying this semester. "We brought people together-- people who live in the same town, but who don't always communicate and share as much as they should. It was great to see people from DePauw and Putnam County walking, talking, smiling, and sometimes, even crying together as they worked toward a common goal," Hedge offered.

While the award is being given to the co-chairs and the community development director of the Wabash Valley ACS Office Teresa Shaffer, Walker says it's everyone's to share. Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Team Effort" 440KB] Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Team Effort" 341KB]"It took every single person that was at the track -- the people who walked at four in the morning, the people who were out in the streets holding bake sales to raise money-- those are the people that won us this award," the DePauw senior said.

Walker and Shaffer will make the trip to Anaheim, California, where they'll accept the award November 3 at ACS' 2001 Annual National Assembly Meeting. Heather Walker's grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins live nearby and will attend. They include two DePauw alums: her grandfather Erwin E. Schulze ('47 and a retired Trustee of the University) and aunt Donna Schulze Ballard '81. Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Family" 226KB] Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "The Lesson" 105KB] Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "The Lesson" 82KB])

Putnam County Relay For Life was founded in 1998 by then-senior Martin Kramer and raised more than $20,000. The 1999 total of approximately $30,000 was eclipsed by 2000's $42,000. The 2002 co-chairs, DePauw senior Ed Nightingale and Keith Brackney of Brackney's Western Store (2001's top fundraising team with $5,999 in pledges) will have the task of keeping the momentum going at the next Relay, set for May 4-5, 2002. Rebecca Hedge and Heather Walker will serve on the event's steering committee. If you have questions about the event, or would like to be a part of it, e-mail enightingale@depauw.edu.

Video Link [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Next Year" 299KB] Audio Link[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Next Year" 228KB]"We've already had so many people ask how they can help, so we're looking for next year to be even better," said an optimistic Walker. "We're extremely excited."

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