Cancer awareness, the hope of finding a cure for the disease and remembering those who have died will be the focus of a student organization’s rally on Tuesday night.

The Ames chapter of Colleges Against Cancer will be holding a rally on the ISU campus at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.

The event is held for the American Cancer Society, which aims to raise cancer awareness and to eventually find a cure for the disease. The rally will be for Iowa State’s second ever Relay For Life event. The Relay for Life at ISU will be held from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on April 13 to 14 at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center.

“[Colleges Against Cancer] really supports the American Cancer Society in making sure that cancer survivors have hope, [to] remember those that have died and to eliminate the disease in the future,” said Todd Holcomb, associate vice president of student affairs and adviser for the Ames Colleges Against Cancer chapter.

The American Cancer Society has organized past events including the Great American Smokeout, the Breast Cancer Awareness “Bowling for Boobs” event and the now annual Relay For Life.

Both the kickoff and the relay are for students, staff and faculty members. The kickoff rally will provide information about the Relay For Life event. Individuals interested can sign up with teams and pick up packets with cancer awareness materials, while individuals interested in fundraising can pick up fundraising packets.

Holcomb said the Relay For Life event is a growing movement. In the past, students who had participated in Relay For Life events in their own hometowns wanted to do the same thing at Iowa State. The Colleges Against Cancer organization started last fall as a way to support the American Cancer Society.

The organization has since spread to campuses countrywide; in Iowa, such institutions as the University of Northern Iowa, Drake, Iowa State and the University of Iowa have chapters.

ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard will speak about cancer at the kickoff. Pollard’s youngest son, James, 4, has undergone several surgeries while battling a rare form of cancer.

Nathan Chizek, a junior in industrial technology and Relay For Life co-chairman for the Ames Chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, is a brain and spinal cord tumor survivor. His cancer went into remission when was 10 years old, and he now feels compelled to offer his unique services to help with questions and to give advice to any who need it. Chizek wants all to know that the organization is about support.

“We’re not just about raising money, we’re about supporting the faculty and the whole campus community,” Chizek said.