July 7, 2010 Clifton & Pequannock, NJ – This past June there were several Relay for Life Charity Events going on in the State of New Jersey. Two of the Relay for Life events took place close to the Fox Institute Clifton, NJ campus. The Fox Institute team, with some great leadership from many members of the staff and faculty, rounded up several massage therapy students to donate their time and massage skills to two of the Relay for Life events. Some of the students helped relax participants before the event with pre-race sports massages and helped them recover after their participation in the event with post-race sports massages, and others actually walked in the event. The students volunteered at the Relay for Life in Clifton and the Relay for Life in Pequannock.
Relay for Life is a volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life events are typically held in local communities like the ones the Fox Institute student’s participated in. The events usually take place during a 24 hour period and several participants stay overnight at the facility. Although the main objective of Relay for Life is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients, the event is held to spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the fight against cancer.
The Fox Institute students helped to achieve these goals on June 12, 2010 in Clifton. The event was hosted at the Clifton Stadium where 392 participants (which included 46 relay teams) and the event raised over $71,000.00. Team Fox Troopers from Fox Institute not only donated their time as masseuses to the participants but also collected over $1,000 in donations from other students at the School.
Just one week later in Pequannock, NJ on June 19, 2010 the Pequannock High School held a Relay for Life event. Several massage therapy students from Fox Institute gathered from 5pm until 8pm offering the 313 participants (including 36 relay teams) a 3 hour period of sports massages. The Relay for Life event not only offered the students with onsite experience but they also can be proud that they participated in an event that raised over $55,000.00.
“As always we are so proud of our students and their desire to get involved in community events,” said Hilda Diaz, Campus President of Fox Institute, New Jersey. “I also need to thank some of my staff for their commitment to these events, Rula Slim, Selene Del Valle, Vanessa Tate, Scherri Moten, and Terry Barreto all gave their time and effort to this great cause and helped make the participation of the students possible. The students all enjoyed their experience and being able to give massages to the participants really made them feel like a part of things.”
Christopher Coutts, Chief Operating Officer for American Institute and Fox Institute added, “Cancer can touch all of us in many ways. For some it is very personal and can touch us right at home. For others it is more indirect and but still present in each of our lives. I am proud to have had Fox Institute students at these events participating in such a great cause. I hope that they made the Relay for Life easier for at least one person, if they did – then they accomplished their goal. Congratulations Clifton, great job.”
“Once again our students gathered to support such a wonderful cause,” said Rula Slim, Regional Director of Career Service. “Their participation was welcomed and appreciated by all the walkers and participants in the Relay for Life event. I am always proud to be part of and be represented by Fox and will continue to support any event that reflects what we stand for.”
Vanessa Tate, Medical Assistant Program Director at Fox Institute added, “Thank you to everyone who helped with the Clifton walk! The Medical Assistant students always come through for a good cause. We had about 50 students walking and running throughout the day. Several students stayed past midnight, as well as Basilio Orozco, our Registrar and Cristine Cano, from our Financial Aid Department. It was a great event, and much is accomplished through teamwork.”
And Terry Barreto, an Admissions Representative at Fox Institute, said, “What a beautiful sight seeing our students come together for such a great cause. During the candlelight ceremony there was a sense of unity and compassion. Everyone there had been touched and whether it was their brother, their sister, their mom or their friend who had fought the fight – we were all there to fight the same cause at that moment. I can’t wait to be part of it again”
