Roughly 284 registered participants and 42 teams have raised more than $45,000 for the June 4-5 Mission Viejo-based Relay For Life at Saddleback College. With the countdown on to the American Cancer Society event, organizers are hopeful Relay will raise $170,000 for the cause.
Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs. During the event, teams will take turns walking or running laps. At nightfall, hundreds of luminaries will be lit in a moving ceremony to honor cancer survivors and remember those who lost their battle to the disease.
Several cancer survivors will walk the 10 a.m. opening “Survivor Lap” to kick off the 17th annual Relay For Life event at the college’s field.
Participants are still sought to take part in the worthy event and can register online or sign up on Saturday, June 4. Cancer survivors and caregivers are invited to walk the first lap at the event, which will feature a host of family and children activities. The Kids Camp is from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; entertainment by Cappy’s Garage kicks off at 10:30 a.m.; and participants and visitors will enjoy the Mission Viejo’s Got Talent competition at 7 p.m. The entertaining competition features new competitors this year along with a few favorites from last year.
This year’s Relay For Life will also provide residents with an extraordinary opportunity to change the face of cancer research for future generations by participating in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). Mission Viejo is the only Orange County city to give community members the chance to participate in the study, which will enroll up to half a million people across the nation and Puerto Rico.
Men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 who’ve never been diagnosed with cancer are sought to participate in the study and can enroll from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. To do so, individuals complete two steps – in person and at home. Over the course of the study (20 to 30 years), participants will be asked to fill out follow-up surveys every few years that will be sent to their home. The voluntary, long-term commitment by participants is what will produce benefits for decades to come.
In honor of Relay For Life and CPS-3, the City Council on Monday, May 16 is expected to proclaim the Week of May 29 through June 4 as Cancer Prevention Week.
Information about Relay for Life is available at www.mvrelay.org. For more information about CPS-3, visit http://cancer.org/cps3, e-mail cps3@cancer.org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.
