RELAY FOR LIFE ON SATURDAY JUNE 6 AT NORTH SHORE HIGH SCHOOL

PictureSurvivor lap during 2014 North Shore Relay for Life
May 27, 2015 – After months of organizational meetings, forming community teams, and raising funds, Relay for Life North Shore 2015 will culminate next weekend, June 6 and 7, with a series of events at the High School. On Saturday evening, the main event, for which the fundraiser is named, will take place when participants, taking turns, walk the high school track throughout the night and into the next day - the oval ringed with luminarias lit in honor of friends and loved ones who have survived and in memory of those who have lost their battles with cancer.   The Opening Ceremony will begin at 7 pm and the Luminaria Lighting at 9.

Earlier in the evening, at 5:30, a Survivor and Caregiver Reception will be held in the cafeteria, and beginning half an hour later and continuing into the night, the Relay Carnival, featuring games, performances, and other activities will provide entertainment as walkers complete their laps.  

Under the direction of Megan Stewart of the American Cancer Society, and high school senior Marissa Frank serving as the event's chairperson,  North Shore Relay for life will try to meet or surpass its fundraising goal of $160,000.  

Funds have been raised through relay teams receiving support from community members and businesses, raffle sales, and the sponsorship of luminarias.  Ms. Stewart said that already North Shore is "hoping to reclaim the title of number one Relay in Nassau County," a designation it earned in 2013 when it raised more than $200,000.

This is North Shore's 9th year organizing the event, and over that time has raised more than $1 million in funds raised for cancer research.  

Begun in 1985 when one man walked and ran around a track for 24 hours and raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society, Relay For Life is the world's largest grassroots fundraiser.  Its goal is to mobilize communities throughout the country to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and provide participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease. 

This year, Relay For Life will take place in nearly 5,100 communities in the United States and 24 other countries, with funds raised going towards the ACS's research efforts to finding cures, and  providing treatment and care to those battling cancer. 

 To participate in this year's event or if you would like to learn more about relay for life, go to the North Shore Relay for life website at www.relayforlife.org/northshoreNY.

Event coordinator Megan Stewart can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 631 300 3150.