Thousands of Cornell and Ithaca College students pulled all-nighters on Saturday for a perhaps more deserving cause than an unwritten paper or next-day exam.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Cornell and Ithaca College was held in Barton Hall this past weekend to raise money and awareness for all types of cancer research.

The Relay was kicked off by a celebratory “Survivors Lap,” as men and women distinguished by their purple shirts displaying “survivor” in bold print marched triumphantly, fueled by a steady applause from thousands of supporters.

On Saturday night, 2,500 Cornell and Ithaca College students looked on as a group of cancer survivors kicked off this year’s Relay for Life with a victory lap around the track in Barton Hall.

The smiling group of men, women and children proudly donned purple shirts, emblazoned with the word “survivor” in large, capital letters, as family, friends and hundreds of supporters cheered them along for their quarter mile celebration.