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Organizers celebrate Hart’s final relay as a student, focus on event’s future Ryan Hart ’15 (center), founder of Thiel College’s Relay for Life, and his parents lead participants for a lap around the Rissell-Schreyer Dome
Brianna Tiedeman The Record-Argus (Green’15 / ville)
In its first three years, the Thiel College Relay for Life has raised almost $50,000 for the fight against cancer. That’s an impressive sum, but not nearly enough for Ryan Hart ’15. A cancer survivor and founding member of the Thiel College Relay for Life, Hart graduated in May with a degree in philosophy and a coaching minor. The Franklin, Pa. native took his final laps around the Rissell-Schreyer Dome, site of the event, as a student and organizer in April. “All the money is great, but there is still a lot more that can be done,” he said. “There is so much more I want to do since no cure for the disease is on the horizon.” To ensure more gets done once Hart leaves campus, Thiel College students Jordan Lupori ’16 and Nick McNutt ’17 have stepped into the role that Hart filled as event chairs. “We want to make sure [Relay for Life] is no longer concentrated on a few people,” Hart said. “We want to make it a community-wide event.” Finding people to fill those roles was important because Hart is going to be more than just off campus. He is going to be out of the country. Hart plans on taking graduate courses in philosophy at Leuven University in Belgium.
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during the April 11 event. Hart, a cancer survivor, graduated in May.
“Ryan implemented an amazing event,” said Amy Lynn Clark ’04 of the Mercer and Lawrence counties office for the American Cancer Society. “He has definitely given his blood, sweat and tears for the event.” Hart said the event was one of the bright spots in his time at Thiel. His goal for the inaugural event was a modest $4,000. The first event blew past that goal, raising $13,000. The three combined events have raised $47,500 for the fight against cancer. The excitement around the relay continues to grow, Hart said, and organizers are working on ideas to supplement the fundraising and to keep the event growing in popularity. “I definitely owe a debt of gratitude to a lot of people,” Hart said. “There were a lot of people who nurtured the event along.” Lecturer of Education Mary Reames, M.Ed., worked with Hart on the first event. “Ryan Hart is an amazing young man who has more passion for what he does than most I know. He is committed to life and to making those around him live life to the fullest. It is thanks to Ryan that the Relay for Life event was started at Thiel. After recovering from his first bout with cancer, he came