Family loss fuels giving for University of Richmond junior, Relay for Life organizer
April 10, 2008
University of Richmond junior Jordan Snelling was a middle school student when she became a statistic.
Her uncle's cancer diagnosis made her one of the millions of Americans touched by the disease every year, either directly or through a relationship with a loved one stricken with the disease.
"My uncle died," the Fogelsville, Pa., native said, "and as a young person, there was not a lot that I felt I could do about it." However, when she learned about the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, she felt it was an opportunity to contribute to the fight against cancer and began participating in the event with her family.
Now Snelling is event chair of Relay for Life of University of Richmond. Some 300 participants have raised $24,000 for the April 12-13 relay at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond. From 10 a.m. on the 12th until 10 a.m. on the 13th, participants will take turns walking or running the track to represent the continuous battle against cancer. Ceremonies during the event will honor cancer survivors as well as those who did not survive the disease.
Snelling began working on Relay for Life of University of Richmond last year as logistics chair. "I got involved because it's an easy way to do something, and I thought the UR community would want to participate," she said.
When Snelling was in high school, her grandmother died from leukemia lymphoma. The loss, combined with the knowledge that she is helping raise money to save lives, further strengthened Snelling's commitment to fight cancer through Relay for Life and her future career.
"One of the things I want to do is learn nonprofit management," she said. "For my career, I want to do something with large, health-related nonprofits."
For more information, contact Snelling at jordan.snelling@richmond.edu or call Sharon Pierce at the American Cancer Society, (804) 527-3777.