Relay For Life Finishes 2015 Strong

Mansfield Relay For Life planners recently confirmed this year’s event collected $127,408.07 for The American Cancer Society, bringing the community-based event’s 11-year fundraising total to almost $4 million.

This year

The Mansfield 2015 Relay For Life had 50 teams of 524 registered participants – at least 83 of whom are cancer survivors – walking in a unique overnight event filled with celebrations of cancer survivors and respectful remembrances of those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Teams that finished in the lead for fundraising included top adult community team Get To Steppin’, top adult business team Together We Make Sense and the top youth community team Chris’s Chicks. They will all have the privilege of having their team names printed on the Mansfield 2016 HOPE Club T-shirts.

To provide any feedback on this year’s event or to learn more about helping out next year, email Tina Seiler at MansfieldRelayForLife@gmail.com, or call Mansfield’s American Cancer Society community manager Kelly Banks at 508-897-4329.

How you can help this fall

Friends of Relay do not have to wait until the calendar hits 2016 to support its mission.

On October 21, from 6 – 9 p.m., 15 percent of all purchases at the Alex + Ani store at Patriot Place in Foxboro will be given to Mansfield Relay For Life. Enjoy refreshments and small bites while making a difference with your shopping.

Look for details to be announced soon on the first Relay open house to be held in November.

Registration for the 2016 event is free and open at www.RelayForLife.org/MansfieldMA.

Watch the website, and the Mansfield Relay’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds for the date, time and location of the season’s kick off event, typically held in late winter.

Donations for 2016 are being accepted online now, as well. Checks, made payable to “American Cancer Society,” can be mailed to Kelly Banks, Relay for Life of Mansfield, American Cancer Society, 1324 Belmont St., Suite 204, Brockton, MA 02301. Put a note with it with your name and the name of the team so it will be properly credited.

Next year

“Our Relay For Life theme for the 2016 season is ‘Paint Your World Purple,’” said Banks. “We’re asking folks what areas of their life, like hobbies, interests, relationships or networks, they can tap into to share their passion for Relay For Life. We hope they, in turn, can inspire others around them, too.”

Anyone who is interested in helping stage next year’s event is invited to learn more about the Event Leadership Team, said Seiler, even if they have never participated before. The group meets one night a month for part of the year and leads the community in monthly team meetings.

“The Event Leadership Team is a volunteer group of adults and students who work together during the year to plan and carry out the Relay,” said Seiler. “We may have different backgrounds and skill sets, but we are united in a common interest to support the American Cancer Society. Ultimately, we’re working to support cancer patients and eliminate the disease. It is an invaluable opportunity to work with and become friends with others who share this common passion.”