DePauw/Putnam County Relay For Life Rated Nation's Second Best
September 22, 2003
September
22, 2003, Greencastle, Ind. - "The American Cancer Society
has
just rated the 2003 Putnam County Relay For Life No. 2 in the nation
for funds
raised by a college-run relay," begins an article in Greencastle's
Banner-Graphic.
"This year's event, staged May 3-4 at DePauw University's Blackstock
Stadium,
raised more than $160,000 for the fight against cancer, smashing the
previous
year's record of $125,000. Only the University of Georgia, with an
enrollment
15 times DePauw's 2,400 students, raised more."
Tricia Cooksey, a junior from Bloomington, Indiana, and co-chair of
2003
Putnam County Relay For Life, tells the newspaper, "without the
participation
of the entire Greencastle community, we would not have come close to
meeting
our goals. The community has truly embraced the Relay." 
Amanda
Manning, a
DePauw junior from Plano, Texas and the other student co-chair of this
year's
event, stated, "The people of Putnam County and DePauw are truly amazing and so
dedicated
to this cause. We are proud to have helped put this event together and
say
thanks to the many people who made it another record-breaking year."
The Banner-Graphic story notes that "Putnam County
Relay For
Life is the oldest college-run relay in the country. This year saw 126
teams,
comprised of 
more than 1,500 participants and 80 cancer survivors,
descend on
the DePauw campus for the 24-hour event, which featured a continuous
parade of
teams walking the Blackstock Stadium track for the fundraiser." Keith
Brackney, owner of Brackney's Western Store in Greencastle and an event
co-chair, noted, "With the economy the way it is, we just hoped to meet last
year's
total. To break the record the way we did is a tribute to the students
as well
as the Greencastle community."
The American Cancer Society's Great Lakes Division has also awarded
the
2003 Putnam County Relay its Heart of Relay Award for Diversity, which
recognizes excellence in efforts to encourage participation by all
members of
the community. Putnam County Relay For Life was awarded the 2002
Heart of Relay Award for the Great Lakes Division, and the year before
won the
National Heart of Relay Award as the best college or university Relay
in the
USA.
You can access the complete newspaper story by clicking here.
The 2004 edition of Putnam County Relay For Life will take place next May 1 & 2. For information, send an e-mail by clicking here.
Read more about the 2003 Relay here.
Back