Relay For Life Continues the Fight

More than 5,000 Relay For Life events happen throughout twenty different countries of the world. This year the American Cancer Society (ACS) brought their Relay For Life team to the Riverside area, just minutes from Moreno Valley, to allow locals to show their support for the fight against cancer. The event was located at California School for the Deaf and was themed “Passport to a Cure.” It started at 9 a.m. on June 7th and ended at 9 a.m. on June 8th, a twenty-four hour event with at least one person from each team walking the track the entire time. There were numerous activities for people to participate in and enjoy as well as raise more money to find a cure for cancer. There was a stage that kept the event going by informing what activity was coming up, and also kept people occupied with activities such as Zumba, a magician, bands, and dance teams. The laps each had their own theme depending on the time, some themes included were a survivor lap, caregiver lap, a parade of teams, a disco lap, a backwards lap, and numerous other themes that kept the people awake and entertained. This year there were 51 teams, almost 700 participants, and over $80,471 raised to help find a cure. The event held numerous booths, each one filled with people supporting a survivor or victim of cancer. Each booth sold items or activities to raise more money to put toward finding a cure, put out information on different cancers, and even provided massages to those who just needed to relax. Helping run the #cody4cure booth was Sara Salamon, who shared “I’m here to support Cody Smith in his battle against cancer. Cody 4 Cure!” Cody Smith is a senior at Riverside Poly High School who is currently fighting a battle with cancer, and many of his football teammates, family, and friends were in attendance in support of Cody. Victoria Pearce, who was selling cookies at the Jazzercise booth, shared “I’m here with Jazzercise in Riverside, and we are Jazzin’ for a cure! It’s great that I can be a part of their program with a quality of life through fitness and health.” All proceeds from the booth went toward the fight for cancer. The booth also promoted healthy, active lifestyles. Theresa Anderson, team leader for “We Are Marching Out” which was the highest raising team at over $12,030, shared that she created the team’s mascot, marching penguins, because they are trying “to freeze the disease.” Anderson also shared that “it started because I wanted to start a team to finish the fight for my friend. From there it just kept growing because people connected because of their friends and family with cancer. It’s fun seeing people from all over the community here.” Anderson also mentioned that she tried to get as many activities to the event as possible, including a photo booth, which came to the event completely free of charge and donated their earnings to the cause. The team was selling an assortment of homemade baked goods at their booth, and kept people entertained with games like corn hole, and blow up penguins. The event was called “Passport to a Cure” and the track of the event was themed by different countries. As people walked the track they passed through places like Sweden, Egypt, and Japan through different decorations and flags that represented each country. Through Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society has helped save numerous lives each day because of the help of its volunteers. It is also a way to honor those who have survived cancer, provide cancer-preventing tips, and raise money for a cure.