Hopkins community comes together to fight cancer
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About 140 of these luminaria, candles in paper bags bearing the names of those who battled cancer, spelled out "Hope" on the steps of Gilman Hall. As participants took a silent lap in honor of those who had lost their lives or struggled with cancer, they were rearranged to spell "Cure."
Sixty-three teams registered, totaling to over 900 participants, for the 12-hour event. The teams raised $53,000 of their overall goal of $60,000.
Participants included students from the medical school, Peabody, the School of Public Health, faculty and staff, the School of Nursing and people from the Baltimore community, according to Sarah Sanchez, co-chair of Team Recruitment and Retention.
Lauren Pennachio, the freshman in charge of the luminaria ceremony, felt that it resonated strongly with attendees.
"From what I understand, the luminaria ceremony [at Hopkins] has never been as universal as it was this year. I was on stage talking, but from what I saw, almost everybody stopped to listen, and almost everybody participated," Pennachio said.
"It seemed like there was a lot of unity on the quad. Everybody listened to what was going on onstage, whether it was a performance or ceremony. I know during the survivor lap that everybody was lining the track and following the survivors around."
As relay participants took the silent lap, Pennachio and another girl read the names of all the people on the luminarias as they scrolled past on a screen.
Event Chair Amethyst Auza said that the luminaria ceremony was the "remembrance" component of the Relay's slogan - "Celebrate, remember, fight back."
"The whole idea for the luminaria ceremony is that you're supposed to get the relay to stop and give people the opportunity to stop and reflect on those who have been lost and to remember those who have survived as well," she explained.
"It was very touching, it got you."
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