Host Bryan Winstead and Media Producer Emma Monismith / Full360 Student Media

Full360 Media Producer Bryan Winstead recently sat down with leaders of the newly formed Colleges Against Cancer club, speaking with President, Sam Wilton, Vice President, Grace Wilson and the Treasurer, Gretta Schneider. In a 25-minute interview recorded by media producer Emma Monismith, members shared the story of the club and how students, faculty and community members can help the cause.

Bryan: Why did you start the club?

Sam: I had the original idea to start it here on campus because I am a freshman and I came here, and I have been doing relay since middle school. They didn’t have it here, so I really wanted to start it and share it with everyone because I think it is such a great event that everyone should have the chance to be a part of it.

Bryan: When did you two decide to help her?

Grace: We were coming back from, I think it was a staff meeting, and as we were leaving, she asked if we knew what relay for life was. I had never heard of it. This will be my first relay for life, and it will be super exciting. I was like, “No, what is it?” She explained it, and she said, “I want to start it,” and I was like, “Okay, that’s a good idea, and I will help you with whatever you need.” And it kind of got started.

Gretta: Yeah, they came up to me and were like, “Will you be our Treasurer?” and I said sure. But I’ve been doing them since I was little…

Bryan: What do you guys hope to get out of this club?

Grace: I feel like just spreading awareness for cancer in general because, actually, at the first meeting… I started the meeting off by asking everyone to raise their hand if they had cancer themselves, knew someone with cancer, or had any connection to cancer that has affected their life, and everyone in the room raised their hand. And I feel like just seeing that and seeing how much it affects people and how widely this disease affects people really inspires people. It shows that we really should be working to find a cure.

Bryan: What other events do you have going on campus?

Grace: So we have had one fundraiser, which was our Cancer Sucks Lollipop Fundraiser. That was a pretty big success for us, especially getting off the ground as a new club and not having a lot of members. Our upcoming fundraisers: our most recent one is going to be a Crumble Cookie fundraiser, which is going to be March 21st, so people can go to the store and buy cookies, and 15% of their check goes to the American Cancer Society.

Grace: Our big one everyone is looking forward to is Bowling for Boobies, which is going to be in October for breast cancer awareness.

Bryan: How much money have you guys raised so far?

Sam: We are at $2,700.

Bryan: With being such a new club on campus, are there any fears going into this?

Gretta: Yeah, I think we all have a lot of stress or anxiety just trying to get this up and running because Relay For Life is such a big event, and we really want to focus, obviously, on our monthly fundraisers but also really making that a successful event. Getting as many people involved as possible, so I feel like just planning for that day, even though we are still in the early stages of planning. So, we are trying to plan as much as possible. So, I feel like especially because we have a small number, the amount of planning we have to do, just the three of us, is pretty stressful.

Bryan: When is the next club meeting?

Gretta: It’s going to be after spring break, that Thursday or Friday when we get back. It’s going to be an ideas meeting. We just want everyone to bring their ideas so we can get everything set in stone and do as much as possible.

Bryan: Are there any ways people can have a lower risk of getting cancer?

Sam: For sure, it is going to sound so cliché, but a healthy diet, getting your fruits and veggies in, lowering your consumption of alcohol, and reducing tobacco use.

To hear the full podcast, listen to the video at the top of the page. To learn more about the club or the topic, feel free to check out the sources below:

Email: Sam Wilton at wiltonsc4469@delval.edu to join the club or if you have any questions.