Fun and Remembrance: Join the Relay for Life on June 21

The annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life will return to Ocean City for its fifth year on June 21 on the track at Ocean City High School.

"It was a little iffy after Sandy, but the message is that cancer doesn't stop after storms," said Linda Raiser, one of the volunteers helping to organize this year's event. "We really want to get the word out that the Relay is not going away."

The Relay for Life is an all-night celebration that honors the lives of people battling cancer, remembers those who have died of the disease and raises money in the search for a cure. For participating teams, the basic premise is simple: 10 to 20 people take turns walking or running around the track all night on Friday. It's the swirl of activity surrounding the walkers, a mix of fun and remembrance, that makes the event both unique and inspiring.

As participants camp out in tents and under canopies on the football field at the high school, bands play live music, instructors lead Zumba classes, men and women dress for a "red bra lap," and a host of other activities are all part of the fun. An opening ceremony and a Luminaria Ceremony help participants remember loved ones lost.

This year, a special guest — Cinderella — will attend as part of a Disney theme. She'll be available for photos with children and participating families.

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To sign up, donate or find more information: relayforlife.org/oceancitynj
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The Relay for Life will continue through the night and conclude with a ceremony on the beach on Saturday morning, June 22.

The event has raised as much as $124,000 in a single year, but organizers say they have no specific financial goal this year — in recognition of the hardships brought on by Hurricane Sandy. But they want to maintain the annual tradition.

"This is something that affects most everybody," Raiser said of the disease.

She and her sister, who had just been diagnosed with cancer, chanced upon the event two years ago and joined the fun for a short while. They formed the O.C. Island Girls team to participate in the full event last year, and they're helping to organize the event this year.

The local event was founded five years ago by Ocean City High School graduate Brittany Ang and a friend who lost her mother to brain cancer, Allison Iudica.

Nicole Morrison (609-846-6056 or nicole.morrison@cancer.org) is the liaison to the American Cancer Society.

One of the most emotional parts of the event will take place about 11 p.m. when participants display candlelit bags decorated to honor loved ones lost to cancer. This "Luminaria Ceremony" also includes a slideshow of friends and family affected by the disease.