Berkeley-Lacey Relay For Life Starts On Saturday

Cancer never sleeps.

That's been Roxanne Stephens' mantra ever since she became involved in the American Cancer Society's Berkeley-Lacey Relay for Life.

So every year she and many others lace up their sneakers, and pull an all-nighter take turns walking circuits around a track at Veterans Park in Bayville to raise money for the fight against cancer. This year will be no different.

They walk to remember loved ones lost or still fighting for their lives.

Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. will be walking for his father, Carmen Sr., who died after a 20-year battle with adrenal cancer.

Just two years after his wife died in 1980, Amato Sr. was diagnosed with adrenal cancer. He fought the disease for 20 years, through nine major surgeries, before he died in 2003.

And his sons, Carmen and Ralph, and daughter, Maria, will be thinking of him when they walk on Saturday for "Team Knute" in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at Veteran's Park.

"I hang in as long as I can," the mayor said. "The importance of the relay is to raise needed funds for the American Cancer Society."

Relay for Life, a worldwide program designed to raise funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of the facts about cancer, centers around a 24-hour fundraising walk. First started in 1985 in Washington State by a doctor who sought to raise awareness and funds to fight cancer, Relay for Life now has more than 4 million participants annually in 20 countries.

The local Relay for Life is a joint event for Berkeley and Lacey and draws participants and volunteers from both towns.

This year's event at Veterans Park will start at noon, with a luncheon for cancer survivors and their caregivers. The opening ceremonies will start at 2 p.m. Then the walking will start.

The highlight of the event is the luminaria ceremony at 10 p.m. Luminaria bags are transformed and illuminated after dark. Each luminaria is personalized with a name, photo, message or drawing in memory or honor of a friend or loved one who has been affected by cancer. Luminaria can also be dedicated in support of a Relay participant. Each luminaria candle represents a person.

Most of the teams are selling food, crafts and other items for their own fundraisers. Music and activities for children and games are also on the schedule, Stephens said.

Image: American Cancer Society