After a disappointing walk last year, the University of Hartford Relay For Life team has already surpassed the total amount of money that they raised in 2015.

Last year’s event brought in around $6,000, but the event was hampered because of weather problems that forced the walk to be moved inside of GSU.

Despite last year’s drop in numbers, this year’s goal was set at $20,000. With a month and a half until the event, there have been 361 participants on 31 teams that have already brought in over $6,250. The top three teams are the Delta Gamma sorority, Superheroes and Love Your Melon.

UPDATE: As of March 24 (exactly one month until the walk), 398 participants on 32 teams have raised more than $9,200. Also, Alpha Epsilon Pi has replaced Superheroes in the top three teams rankings. AEPi has raised over $1,830.

Delta Gamma set a goal of raising at least $2,500 and currently leads with $1,880, which is more than double of any other participating team.

“As members of Delta Gamma, we’re all committed to service,” Sara Karlstad said, who serves as vice president Panhellenic for Delta Gamma. “A lot of our sisters’ families and loved ones have been personally affected by cancer, which is why we have been so motivated to give back to the American Cancer Society.”

Superheroes is a team started by freshmen Jennifer Martins and Rachel Bonaparte. They’re goal was to raise $1,000 and they’ve raised $825 so far.

Bonaparte had been involved with Relay For Life with her friends in high school and she wanted to continue to participate in college. When she asked Martins if they wanted to make a team together, it was an automatic no-brainer for both of them, especially since they’ve been affected by cancer.

“I thought cancer was something that affected other people, not my family,” Martins said. “Unfortunately, I was wrong. My aunt was diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years ago.”

Over the summer, Martins also lost someone special to her to pancreatic cancer. Her Spanish high school teacher Mrs. Cruz was the best teacher she had ever had.

Bonaparte’s dad was also diagnosed with prostate cancer during the past summer.

“Cancer affects almost everyone you meet in different ways and everyone wants to have a chance to fight against it,” Bonaparte said.

Love Your Melon is not only a recent addition to the University of Hartford, but also a recent addition to Relay For Life. Love Your Melon helps give a hat to every child battling cancer in the U.S. and signed up for Relay For Life only about two weeks ago. With their mission going hand-in-hand with Relay For Life and the battle against cancer, it was a no-brainer for them to join.

“I am so proud of our team for already raising so much money,” Love Your Melon captain Carly Giordano said. “A lot of our members have had friends and family that survived or passed from cancer and this is a great way to show our respect.”

Love Your Melon set a goal of raising $1,000 and have already brought in $785.

UPDATE: As of March 24, Love Your Melon has raised over $1,100.

The Residence Hall Association has also already committed to donate another $2,000.

As of Feb. 25, the University of Hartford was No. 19 in the top 25 of year-over-year percentage growth among college campus events from 2015 to 2016. The UHart Relay For Life team was seeing a growth of 951 percent.

“At this point last year, we did not have that many participants signed up,” Relay For Life advisor Kristy Severino said. “We’re like light years ahead of where we were.”

The Relay For Life Walk is set for April 24 from 1–8:30 p.m. on the Village Green.

Our #TBT pic goes out to 2011 grad Amanda Weaver who became cancer free two years ago today! #walkforweaver #family pic.twitter.com/xyltwxnffH

— HartfordWBB (@HartfordWBB) September 25, 2014

The event will feature performances by several student groups as well as a keynote speaker Amanda Weaver, who is a Class of 2011 alumnus.

Weaver was also a member of the Hartford Hawks women’s basketball team from 2007–2011. She was one of three team captains during her senior year and helped the Hawks to two America East regular season championships and two conference tournament trophies.

Weaver was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in June 2012 and after six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she successfully underwent surgery in September of that year and was declared cancer-free.

Relay For Life is not only good because it helps the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer, but also because it brings the different aspects of the University community together.

“You not only see the ‘Red Caps’ and the ‘Greeks,’ but you have someone from athletics or RHA too,” Severino said. “It’s really cool to see everyone come together.”

The first Relay For Life event held on campus was in 2008 in which they raised $38,000. Although numbers have been dwindling the past few years, they have been able to bring in over $100,000 over the past five years.

For more information, contact Kristy Severino at kseverino@hartford.edu.