Relay For Life rallies communities to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and raise funds to eliminate cancer. Lasting overnight as team members take turns walking around a track, Relay inspires, entertains and touches the hearts of all who participate.

Phi Theta Kappa encourages chapters to continue to support Relay For Life. Our goal as an Honor Society is to raise $10 million for the American Cancer Society by Phi Theta Kappa's 100th Anniversary Annual Convention in 2018. Phi Theta Kappa chapters have already raised nearly $4 million as of 2015.

Report your chapter's participation in a Relay For Life event

Fast Facts

The American Cancer Society has played a role in nearly every cancer research breakthrough in recent history:

• 1947: The first successful chemotherapy treatment for cancer was discovered when an American Cancer Society-funded researcher produced remission in leukemia patients.
• 1954: An American Cancer Society study confirmed the link between smoking and lung cancer – helping to launch the tobacco control movement that has contributed to a 50 percent drop in smoking since the 1960s and a drop in overall lung cancer death rates.
• 1973: The American Cancer Society invested in a mammography study that demonstrated it is the best tool for the early detection of breast cancer.
• 2003: American Cancer Society researchers confirmed the link between obesity and many types of cancer.

Breakthroughs like these save lives. Since the early 1990s, we've seen a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. By organizing and participating in Relay For Life events, Phi Theta Kappans have played an important role in helping save lives! Help us continue this track record of success by planning your event today!

Helpful Resources

• Find a Relay near you.
• Relay For Life Fundraising Ideas from the American Cancer Society, 54 KB
• Relay For Life Fundraising Guidebook from the American Cancer Society, 4.1MB

Questions?

Contact Chief Student Engagement Officer Jennifer Stanford at jennifer.stanford@ptk.org or 800.946.9995

History

From April 2002 through April 2006, Phi Theta Kappa worked closely with the American Cancer Society for our 2002-06 International Service Program, Conquering Cancer.

The Conquering Cancer Service Program was Phi Theta Kappa's most successful International Service Program to date, with nearly 800 participating Chapters of Service. In 2003 and 2005, Phi Theta Kappa was recognized as the top collegiate contributor to the American Cancer Society's signature fundraising event, Relay For Life®.