By Khalida Sarwari
A community of cancer survivors, along with their families and caregivers, will convene later this month at St. Andrew’s Field for Relay for Life, a 24-hour event that honors people who have passed away from cancer and raises money for those suffering from the disease.
Members of 20 teams will gather on the field for a 24-hour event that includes activities, food, live music, speakers, onsite fundraisers and entertainment, with constant walking in between. During the 24 hours, at least one person from each team will try to walk around the track.
Relay for Life begins at 10 a.m. on July 23 and ends at 10 a.m. the following day. During that time, participants typically organize various events to celebrate and honor cancer survivors, such as a survivor walk, a luncheon for survivors and a luminaria ceremony at sunset where the facility lights are replaced by white candles and bags bearing the names of all those affected by cancer.
Other highlights include a lip sync battle, karaoke and jam session followed by a barbecue on July 23. Later that evening, musician Burr Nissen will give a bagpipe performance.
Two survivors are scheduled to speak during the opening and luminaria ceremonies: Simran Mallik, a sophomore at Saratoga High School, and Michele Crowe, the team captain of Team Chel. The musical performances will be led by students from St Andrew’s Episcopal School and Saratoga High.
For the first time this year, participants will get to keep track of their laps as well as their teams’ by using an RFID tag system developed by local engineering firm Guerra Technologies, according to Thierry Doyen, the event’s lead coordinator.
“Last year, our event walked the whole length of the state of California, from the Mexico border to the Oregon border,” said Doyen. “This year, our goal is to go from the Mexico border to the Washington–or even Canadian–border. The more participants we will have walking around the track, the furthest we will be able to go as an event.”
Throughout the day, teams will sell raffle tickets and hold silent auctions. Participants can find information about different types of cancer at various team booths.
On Sunday morning, the event will conclude with an announcement of the money raised up to that point and a recognition of the participating teams.
This year, the Saratoga and Los Gatos Relay events are being consolidated, so there will be a significant Los Gatos presence at the event. Led by Rita Melamed, the Los Gatos Discovery Shop is specifically for Los Gatos residents and they encourage people to sign up at their shop at 39 E Main St. in Los Gatos.
The event, now in its 13th year in Saratoga, is held annually by the American Cancer Society. Thus far this year, Saratoga has 20 teams signed up and has raised nearly $27,000. All proceeds from the event will go toward funding cancer research, education and patient support services.
The event is free to attend. Registered survivors and caregivers will be treated to a free T-shirt and luncheon.
Those interested in joining a team are able to do so up until the day of the event. To join, either as a participant or a survivor, visit the Saratoga Relay for Life website atrelayforlife.org/saratogaca.
Link:
Los Gatos, Saratoga: Relay for Life returns to St. Andrew’s Field
