Still a Chance for All to Join Relay for Life

Local organizers are recruiting new teams and participants for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, an all-night celebration June 22 on the track at Ocean City High School 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 pretty 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, dunk tanks entertain participants, 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.

________________________________

To register or find more information: relayforlife.org/oceancitynj
________________________________ 

In the fourth year of the local event, organizers hope to raise as much as $150,000. The Ocean City event brought in $124,000 last year, after raising a combined $165,000 in its first two years.

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

But with Ang now studying in dental school, the monumental task of organizing the Relay for Life moved to a new committee led by Ocean City Public Works employee Tiffany Malone and a group that includes Jaime Cornell-Fine, Michael DeVlieger, Cecelia Dugan, Gail Malone and Ann Unsworth.

Ashley Colone, a director of special events, is the committee's liaison to the American Cancer Society.

Malone said there is still time for teams to participate (email tmalone@ocnj.us for information), but she's also encouraging individuals to attend (with a donation of $10 at the door to participate).

The gates will open at 4 p.m. Friday. The opening ceremony starts at 6 p.m., and after remarks by local dignitaries, a cancer survivor lap will begin approximately 6:30 p.m.

Local bands will play 7 to 10 p.m., and one of the most emotional parts of the event will take place shortly after 10 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.

Malone said there may still be time to add a few more photos to the Luminaria slideshow (email tmalone@ocnj.us).

The Relay for Life will continue through the night and conclude at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 23.