Meghan Hoban ’20 to Launch Relay for Life Chapter at CMSV
1/18/2017
Riverdale, N.Y. – Meghan Hoban ’20 arrived at the University of Mount Saint Vincent ready to enact change. This spring she is starting a new chapter of Relay for Life—the signature fundraising walk of the American Cancer Society—on campus. While this is the first time the Mount has launched a Relay for Life chapter, the College has hosted Relay for Life events in the past, most recently in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, the College raised $21,000 for the American Cancer Society
Meghan is a longtime Relay for Life volunteer—since her middle school years, in fact.
“When I was in second grade, my grandfather passed away from cancer,” Meghan said. She soon became aware of other students who were starting to lose loved ones to the same culprit, the second leading cause of death in the United States. By middle school, Meghan had participated in her first Relay for Life walk.
During her freshman year at North Hunterdon High School (NHHS) in Annandale, New Jersey, Meghan learned a close friends had a parent battling cancer. Her close-knit, suburban community rallied. During her junior year, Meghan’s own mother, Jennifer Coleman Hoban ’89, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. By the time Mrs. Hoban passed away at the end of Meghan’s junior year, Meghan had become president of NHHS’s Relay for Life chapter. “We raised $50,000 my sophomore year, then $100,000 my junior year, the year I became president,” Meghan says.
On May 19, 2016, NHHS received national recognition from Relay for Life for its outstanding performance.
Last fall, Meghan approached the College’s student government to begin a Relay for Life chapter on campus.
“I am so excited to be able to start such an important initiative that touches so many people,” Meghan says. Already, close to two dozen students have signed up. That list is rapidly growing.
For more information, visit the Mount Saint Vincent Relay for Life chapter.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.