IU Kokomo walkers, alumni contribute to leading cancer fundraiser
July 14, 2005
KOKOMO, Ind.—In bright sun and by floodlights, from 6 p.m. on June 17 until 6 p.m. the next day, walkers circled the Kokomo High School football field for the 2005 Howard County Relay for Life. A record 115 teams—including one representing IU Kokomo—participated. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in communities throughout the nation, Relays for Life raise funds to support cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient services.
About 30 IU Kokomo students, alumni, staff, and faculty members participated as a team in the local marathon, raising close to $1,00 in pledges. Cheryl Currens, B.G.S. '98, laced on her sneakers for the 4–5 a.m. shift. “It was fun,” she said. An early riser, Jody Howell, B.S. '03, selected the 6–7 a.m. slot. “I was surprised to see so many walkers and runners there at the same time. My favorite part was watching the sun rise,” she said of her first Relay for Life experience. “After seeing the commitment and dedication of so many people to find a cure for this disease, I hope to do more in future campaigns.”
Other campus representatives included students Chad Andrews, Brooke Arthur, Danielle Blevins, Venyette Charles, Jenna Easter, Stephanie Hill, Ashley Keller, Tabytha Riley, Paulisha Rink, Michael Smith, and Nick Stevens, along with Bob Hayes, Marie Kunkle, Terry Brown, Candy Norman, Gary Hancock, Marcia Reynolds, Justin Moore, Gail Daggett, Tim Sehr, John Stachaz, Gail Pi-Chen Hipp, Marcia Sandy, Anna Chaplin, Sue Sciame Giesecke, and Sarah Hawkins.
The Kokomo Relay for Life raised $332,000, according to Brianne Boles, community development director for the local ACS office. That made it “the #1 income-based Relay in the state of Indiana,” Boles said. “Every year but one, [Howard County has] ranked in the top 10 nationwide for income raised.”
Boles earned a Bachelor of General Studies degree from IU Kokomo in 2003. One month after the Relay in Kokomo, she began work as a manager of community development for ACS in Riverside, Calif.
