Relay for Life Steps Off Friday at St. Charles North

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life steps off Friday evening . The event is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. Friday, May 10, through 6 a.m. Saturday, May 11, 2013.

According to an American Cancer Society release, the annual Relay for Life’s main objective is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients. The annual event, however, also raises cancer awareness, celebrates survivors’ lives, remembers those who died of cancer, and builds unity in the community in the fight against cancer.

As of Monday, May 6, 2013 — just four days before the relay, 279 participants had registered, there were 29 teams, and $8,842 had been raised.

This year’s Relay for Life is just 12 days from the American Cancer Society’s 100-year anniversary of saving lives from cancer. “It’s the progress we’ve made together — as a community, as volunteers, as survivors and as leaders — that has helped us reach this incredible milestone with tremendous success,” says Molly Link, American Cancer Society event organizer. “By lending your support to St. Charles North High School’s Relay event this year, you’ll be lending your support to the society’s efforts to finish the fight and bring an end to cancer as we know it.”

The American Cancer Society bills itself as a global grassroots effort involving more than 3 million volunteers working to save the lives of those threatened by cancer. As the nation’s largest voluntary health organization, the American Cancer Society’s efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the United States since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates.

For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call the American Cancer Society anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

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