Despite a day of gray skies and rain, the Wake Forest community brought energy to Hit the Bricks on Sept. 26, breaking the previous year’s record by raising over $303,000. Over 2,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni raised money by running, walking and dancing over 14,000 laps around Hearn Plaza.
Since its start in 2003, Hit the Bricks has raised over $1.5 million for the Brian Piccolo Research Fund, which supports patients and their families at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Brian Piccolo graduated from Wake Forest in 1965. A talented football player, he went on to play for the Chicago Bears before being diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma in 1969. Piccolo died in 1970 but left a lasting legacy on the Wake Forest community and has been the inspiration for a campus-wide dedication to fighting cancer for several decades.
“I think Hit the Bricks reminds us that there’s a lot worse things in the world than what we’re going through,” said Hit the Bricks Executive Director Kevin Dunn. “Cancer is so ubiquitous in our society that we need to make sure we do all we can to try to stop it.”
Event planning for Hit the Bricks is a year-long process that involves securing corporate sponsors, reserving tents and equipment and, most importantly, getting students to sign up. This year the executive board grew to 13 students, each with a strong passion for Hit the Bricks and the support it provides to cancer patients and their families. The executive board expanded its reach to include more of the Wake Forest community by receiving help from a committee of over 100 people.
“I think Hit the Bricks is able to draw in so much of the student population because there is so much excitement and energy surrounding it,” freshman Maggie Whitworth said. “So many older students at [Wake Forest] are passionate about the event and make it seem so fun to be a part of, which convinces younger students to run, as well. Hit the Bricks was definitely a highlight of my freshman year so far, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
The annual Thursday event was shortened this year by several hours to accommodate evening storms, but the rain did nothing to diminish the energy of participants or the success of the fundraiser.
Throughout the six-hour event, participants had a little extra fun participating in specialty laps that required conga-lining, dancing, onesie-wearing and more. Competitions and tournaments throughout the day also gave teams opportunities to increase their points with intense rounds of cornhole and spike ball. The Anthony Aston Players (AAP) won the general competition with a total of 598 laps.
“Everyone gets to show up for their own organization and contribute to something bigger than all of us, and I think that’s really important to a lot of kids at [Wake Forest],” senior Francie Tucker said. “The atmosphere is the best part — it’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s electric.”
