Three Relay For Life' events join national cancer fighting movement
Orange County Three American Cancer Society “Relay For Life” events will be held in Orange County. The relay at Goshen Senior High School, at 222 Scotchtown Ave. in Goshen, will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 9, and continue until 8 a.m. Saturday. The relay at Cronomer Hill Park in Newburgh will begin at noon on Saturday, June 17, and continue until 8 a.m. Sunday morning. The relay at Pine Bush Park in Pine Bush will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, and continuing until 7 a.m. the following morning. “The Relay For Life events are the best ways you can show your support for the fight against cancer,” said Dawn Kemp, of the American Cancer Society. “Everyone knows someone who has been touched by this disease. Cancer is a killer that won’t stop until we all work together as a community to stop it.” “Relay For Life” events are a family-friendly, community-based overnight celebration of life and survivorship. Teams of people, including local businesses, friends, families, hospitals, churches and clubs, gather at community sites and take turns walking, jogging or running laps. Emotions may run high as cancer survivors, caregivers, and friends take to the track to raise awareness and support cancer research, education, advocacy and patient services in the community. The relay is designed to give everyone an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Orange County residents will join 4,500 other communities across America in this celebration of survivorship and hope. Since the first “Relay For Life” was held in 1985 in Tacoma, Wash., the event has raised more than $1 billion to fight cancer. “These are also celebrations of survivorship. More than one million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year,” added Kemp, “and because of advances in medicine, more people than ever before are surviving. Relay is also an opportunity to honor the courage of survivors in our community, and recognize how far we’ve actually come in the effort to end cancer.” The relay opens as cancer survivors walk, run, or wheelchair the first lap. A luminaria service, held after dark, honors cancer survivors and is a remembrance of those who have lost the battle against cancer. Luminaria bags line the track, and are left glowing throughout the night. Each bag features the name of someone who has faced cancer. Proceeds go to support the American Cancer Society’s mission to end the burden of cancer in the nation. The society, founded in 1913, has national headquarters in Atlanta, 17 regional divisions, and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers. More than $100 million is raised each year, with more than $40 million put to work in New York and New Jersey. To join the relay, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. The phone number is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, with personnel trained to offer information referrals.