UCF raised more than $76,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, which took place April 16 at Memory Mall.

“We had a team member walk the whole 18 hours; I was impressed,” said Randy Foster, who led the UCF Finance and Accounting team.

Relay For Life is a national event where teams take turns walking or running from 6 p.m. to noon the next day.

The  UCF version of Relay for Life is student-run and is held each spring in order to raise both funds and awareness for the ACS.

The event celebrates those who have successfully fought cancer and remembers those who have died from the illness and raises money for future research.

Team fundraising and donations raise money for the cause.

UCF has been holding Relay For Life events since 1996 and has since raised more than $1 million for the ACS.

The Finance and Accounting team was among the top fundraisers, along with UKnighted for a Cure, Phi Sigma Pi, the Center for Distributed Learning, UCF Strategy, Marketing, Communications and Admissions.

Foster helped his team raise $3,243 by holding $5 luncheons for the office and also having sales in their lobby.

According to the American Cancer Society, UCF exceeded its goal of raising $76,000 by $500 dollars.

More than 75 teams participated in the event.

Foster originally became involved in the event because his daughter worked for the ACS.

He has been walking at Relay for Life events for more than a decade now and says it is rewarding for him when he watches all the survivors walk together, which is known at the event as the “survivors lap.”

Katie Marnell, who was at the event with her sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda, said the event had a positive impact on her.

“This was the first time I've done Relay For Life, and it was definitely a heartwarming experience and everyone should try and participate at least once,” Marnell said. “It is amazing how so many people came out to assist and raise funds for such a grand cause.”

Marnell said she took a lot away from the event because of a personal connection to cancer.

“I definitely took this all to heart because my mother is a cancer survivor, so I know all the pain and struggle that happens to these families,” Marnell said. “Being at Relay For Life is something that I will never forget, and I plan on participating in every year.”

Eddie Melville, a junior psychology student, had been to a Relay For Life event in high school but attended it for the first time at UCF this year.

“Memory Mall was just packed with people,” Melville said. “There were tents set up everywhere, people grilling and a stage with music. It was a lot of fun to walk around.”