Relay for Life, a 12-hour overnight walk to raise money for cancer research, will commence its second year at GW this April, but the Program Board staff is already hard at work preparing the event and hosting kickoff parties.

About 100 students gathered in the Marvin Center Tuesday to kick off the event, urging students to donate their time and money to the walkathon. Last year’s relay event was the highest-earning fundraising event in GW history, organizers said. And this year, coordinators said they plan to raise $180,000 – three times more money than the event generated last year.

“Last year we only had one kickoff in spring, but we decided to have two this year – one in the fall and one in the spring – in order to raise more awareness for the event,” said junior Callie Meserole, a co-chair for the Relay for Life event.

Although the charity event is still months away, PB began planning earlier this semester in an attempt to increase the $60,000 the group raised last year to $200,000. PB began preparing for last year’s spring relay in February.

The kickoff event was internationally themed, featuring international food and entertainment including Bachnal, a Caribbean dance group, and the band Poor People Aren’t Necessarily Killers. The event also included cancer survivor Marie McGrory, who shared her experiences with the attendees.

Junior Brenda Tobin, another Relay for Life co-chair, said at the event that students were encouraged to sign up for the relay team online at Relaygw.org.

“We are also selling T-shirts – white and purple, the colors of the American Cancer Society – to raise money for the cause,” Tobin said.

This year’s T-shirts read: “The one night stand you won’t regret.”