The UW-Whitewater chapter of American Cancer Society affiliate, Colleges Against Cancer, hosted its annual Relay for Life event from 5 p.m. through 5 a.m. last Saturday night at the Kachel Fieldhouse.

During the annual event, participants worked in teams to raise money for the American Cancer Society and walked a track in a 12-hour relay.

At this year’s event, the teams also participated in a tug-of-war, frozen T-shirt contest, Zumba, inflatable obstacle course and smaller fundraising efforts.

“Our main message is, ‘cancer doesn’t sleep,’ and that’s why we are here for 12 hours walking the track,” UW-Whitewater CAC co-president Cassidy Schmidt said. “This event shows how valued community service is on this campus. We have 400 students who participated, and we’ve raised a lot of money.”

At the conclusion of the event, over $25,400 had been raised, somewhat short of the initial $28,000 goal, CAC member Michelle Wallenberg said.

According to Wallenberg, the American Cancer Society is still accepting donations for the event and interested persons can help event organizers reach this goal by donating online.

Prior to the event, members of each team were asked to raise at least $100 in donations.

Co-President Bailey Hearley said the sponsors of the event: Alpha Sigma, Phi Kappa Alpha, and SEAL, each contributed a minimum of $500 in addition to the money raised by each of the members participating.

Hearley said beyond the minimum sponsor donations, SEAL helped CAC promote the event and Phi Kappa Alpha contributed $300 for an inflatable obstacle course relay participants were able to enjoy during the event.

All the donations raised from the event will be sent to the American Cancer Society for programs that, among other things, help cancer patients get to treatments and fund call centers that provide informative services for cancer patients and their families.

“Last year’s event was so successful and every year we just keep getting bigger and better,” said Hearley.