The Relay for Life opening ceremony kicked off with a hopeful victory lap as cancer survivors marched hand-in-hand around the Events Center track, sending a promising message to participants, helping them realize that they are making a difference.

With over 1,700 participants in 140 teams, Binghamton University raised $90,750.27 based on online donations as of 12 p.m. Friday and all off-line donations (cash and checks) as of 6 a.m. on Saturday. Totals have already changed as more online donations occurred this weekend, said Team Recruitment/Publicity Chair Jenna Sykoff.

Event coordinators said that donations can be made online until three months after the event. Hiliary Humble, Special Event Director for the American Cancer society, expects that BU will be over the $92K mark when all is accounted for.

Money raised through Relay for Life events goes toward the advancement of cancer research. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has funded 38 Nobel Prize-winning researchers. ACS is the largest source of private, non-profit cancer research funds in the United States, spending $130 million each year on cancer research.

Donations are also used to promote various social programs, including the use of federal funds to provide low-income women with access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, as well as restricting youth access to tobacco.

Local support programs and services for cancer patients, including Hope Lodge, Man to Man, Reach to Recovery, Cancer Survivors Network, Telephone Hot Line and “Look Good … Feel Better” — an organization which helps women overcome appearance-related difficulties resulting from cancer treatment — are funded by ACS donations as well.

Participating in an event such as Relay for Life takes more than just a material donation. Top fundraiser Joyce C. Wong demonstrated that it involves awareness and a passion to help fight cancer.

Wong, a senior human development major, raised $2,130 with the support of her loving friends and her team, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

“I’m still not sure how so much money came in,” Wong said. “But it was because of amazing friends and family who genuinely cared about the cause.”

Wong, who lost a friend to breast cancer and whose grandmother was diagnosed with a late-stage cancer, is well aware of the burden of the disease on both patients and their loved ones. “Throughout the whole process of fundraising and walking, I wholeheartedly kept them by my side,” said Wong. “Even if I had come in 1000th place, I am still incredibly thankful to God for all that was accomplished.”

Team “campsites” were scattered around the stage, which was set up in the center of the track, forming participants into a more unified body. “I liked this setup because it made it easier to find people or see them when walking,” said Alicia Brosen, a senior psychology major. “I remember that every hour there were a good amount of people walking the track, which, of course, shows dedication,” she said.

Though many teams prepared themselves well with blankets, cushions, sleeping bags and even tents for the 12-hour relay, staying up past early morning hours certainly wasn’t an easy task.

To keep participants active throughout the event, the Relay for Life planning committee prepared numerous games, shows and activities, which began at various times throughout the relay.

Student showcases included performances by the BU Cheer Team, Kickline, International Flag Dancers, Ballroom dancers and Rhythm Method, among many others. Activities along the track included iMac demonstrations and making photo key chains.

The big attention-grabbers of the event, however, were performances by the bands LBW, The Anywheres and most notably, Phantom Planet.

“I think a lot of people came to Relay just to see [Phantom Planet] because the bleachers were more crowded then,” said Brosen.

Members of Phantom Planet, famous for their song “California,” the theme song to the hit TV show, “The OC,” also showed their support by taking laps around the track.

“It is definitely not easy to stay awake for so long, but I did have a lot of fun,” Brosen said. The most difficult hours were from 4 a.m. and on, but the soda, candy and dance activities kept Brosen going. In spite of any difficulties she may have encountered, she said that “the cause was absolutely worth relaying for.”

“I think there were a lot more people than I had expected at Relay,” said Reiko Thorne, a sophomore at BU. “It made me happy that so many people share the same drive for helping others,” she said.

Thorne, who took the extra effort to serve food at the concession, was more than rewarded by her experience.

“It’s a good cause and it brings people together,” Thorne said. “You make bonds with others who are committed to spend the next 12 hours of their life trapped in a gym.”