Many ISU students and faculty may be walking and running instead of sleeping in on Sunday.

People in Story County will team up to fight cancer at the Lied Recreation Center from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The American Cancer Society will host its signature event, Relay for Life, to raise money for education, advocacy, research and patient services.

The event will include opening ceremonies, relays, entertainment and a luminaria ceremony. The paper luminaries are decorated by those who make a donation in honor of a cancer patient or victim. They are then placed around the track in remembrance.

This year, a student organization, Fighting Against Cancer Together (F.A.C.T.), will be helping with the event. They have about 20 members who work toward fighting cancer.

April Samuelson, vice president of F.A.C.T, said it is a “great event to help fight cancer,” along with being fun. Anyone can start a team, but she said there should be at least eight members per team.

Samuelson, senior in management, said this year’s goal is to raise more than $80,000.

“My favorite part is seeing all the people walking for the cause,” Samuelson said.

David Dunn, staff member for the American Cancer Society, said there are many goals beyond the fund-raising for this year’s event. He said Relay for Life also srtives to increase awareness of the American Cancer Society. Dunn said participants should “think about those who are battling cancer” and remember those who lost the fight against the disease.

The money raised will mainly stay in Story County, with some of the funds going to a professor at Iowa State. Gloria Culver, assistant professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, has a grant through ACS to conduct research on fighting cancer.

Liz Budden, senior in community health education, will be one of the many volunteers this year.

“I look forward to the survivors’ lap,” Budden said of the lap in which cancer survivors are honored. “It’s pretty moving.”

Dunn agreed.

“No one relay is the same,” Dunn said. “It’ll touch you in a different way every time.”

The American Cancer Society is the nation’s largest volunteer-based health organization. Dunn said there are three main goals the ACS is working to reach by 2015.

One goal is to decrease cancer mortality rates by 25 percent and decrease cancer incidents by 25 percent.

The ACS also wants to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, Dunn said.

According to the Relay for Life Web site, www.cancer.org, Relay for Life was started in 1985 and has been in Ames since 1993.

Those interested in F.A.C.T. should e-mail Samuelson or Roger Weise, president of F.A.C.T. The F.A.C.T e-mail address is [email protected].

For more information on volunteering for the event, contact David Dunn at (515) 727-0067.