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News: EB Relay-for-Life Event |
EAST BOSTON RELAY FOR LIFE
Families and
Friends of East Boston Use Hearts
and Feet to Fight Cancer
East Boston, MA – June 11, 2010 – Walkers will go around the clock
in the battle against cancer when the 2nd annual American Cancer
Society Relay For Life® of East Boston gets underway with teams of
residents gathering at Sartori Stadium, in East Boston on June 18th,
at 5:30PM an will last throughout the night until 7:00AM on June
19th.
Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams
camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with
the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway
at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their
fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative
fundraisers at their camp sites during Relay. Relay brings together
friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based
groups . . . people from all walks of life – all aimed at furthering
the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives by helping
people stay well, by helping them get well, by finding cures and by
fighting back.
East Boston’s second annual Relay for life event has 26 teams and
hundreds of walkers gearing up to walk all night on June 18th. In
addition to racking up thousands of miles and raising funds to fight
cancer – relayers will be partying all night long to the music of DJ
Damien Margardo of Soundz Unique and Beowolf as walkers don costumes
for theme laps and tent hop engaging in all of the activities being
hosted by teams in our tent city. Teams have been working for months
coordinating themes and activities ranging from candy stores to
texas hold-em tournaments.
Spinelli’s Jen Ashman displays
coloring contest sheets
“This year’s corporate partners have also really stepped up”,
said Relay committee member Celeste Myers. While describing how
returning sponsor ‘First Priority Credit Union has taken the lead
with the First Priority Quarter Mile Challenge’, Celeste elaborated
“It’s our goal to make a full circle around the track in quarters.
If we are successful in placing quarters end to end and they make it
all the way around the track, we will raise $10,000. Not only that –
we will be making Relay history – being the first of 5,000 relays to
accomplish this.” Spinelli’s, another returning partner – has
increased their participation by sponsoring a cake coloring contest
that is tied to the American Cancer Society’s ‘More Birthdays’ theme
and is collecting entries and crafting one lucky youth’s winning
cake design, which will be presented at Relay. Folks can also drop
into Spinelli’s to pay tribute to a loved one and make a donation to
the Relay. These are just a couple of East Boston Relay for Life’s
corporate partners.
“Relay is a unique opportunity for our community to come together
to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember those we’ve
lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Tiffany LaCascia
Co-Chair for the Relay For Life of East Boston. “Many of the
participants are cancer survivors, which serves as a reminder that
our community is not immune to this disease and that by
participating in Relay, we are joining with the American Cancer
Society’s efforts to create a world with less cancer and more
birthdays,” Co Chair Kristin Quinn, added.
First
Priority Credit Union: Kelly Montoya (Member Service
Representative), (Tiffany and Kristen) Bill French (President and
CEO), Shaylyn Merullo (Teller), Julie Perham
(Marketing Director), Paul Travaglini (Business Development)
Funds raised at Relay For Life of East Boston are enabling the
American Cancer Society to impact the lives of those touched by
cancer within the community by supporting vital, cutting-edge cancer
research; providing cancer patients with services such as
transportation to treatment, free lodging at our Hope Lodge, and
round the clock support at our national cancer information center
available at 1-800-227-2345 anytime, day or night; publishing
lifesaving literature on cancer prevention, detection and tobacco
control; and developing a new generation of medicines that help
those battling cancer.
Relay For Life’s Luminaria Ceremony takes place after sundown,
honoring the community’s cancer survivors and remembering those lost
to the disease. Participants will circle a track that is surrounded
with glowing luminaria that bear the name of someone who has battled
cancer. Luminaria may be purchased for $10 by calling 617-913-3332
or by visiting RelayForLife.org and selecting the East Boston Relay.
Also a part of the Relay For Life of East Boston is the “Fight
Back” Ceremony, in which a community leader will inspire Relay
participants with his or her own commitment and will challenge them
to take a personal pledge of action (e.g., stop smoking, eat more
healthily, exercise regularly, etc.) in fighting back.
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with
nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from
cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million
volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer
in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by
preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well
by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by
finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by
fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer
and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight.
As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer
research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know
about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million
people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have
avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more
about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at
1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
More information
at
www.RelayForLife.org/EastBostonMA
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