RELAY FOR LIFE IS A GREAT TIME FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Relay For Life is a celebration of life and a way to pay tribute to those who have lost their battle with cancer. Please join us for the 18th annual Relay For Life; June 18th at SJHMC Rochester Hills Cancer Center at 1901 Star-Batt Drive, Rochester Hills, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and continuing through 12:00 a.m.

It will be a day full of activity! Anyone can come walk, stroll, or run around the track. Events and activities for everyone will be taking place throughout the event. Details can be found on the website www.relayforlife.org/rochestermi.

During Opening ceremonies at 10am the Mayors of Rochester and Rochester Hills, Cathy Daldin and Bryan Barnett will be on hand to welcome Relayers as well as Jennifer Kincer to sing the National Anthem and Dawn Dameron from the Presenting Sponsor, Volkswagen will talk about their continuing partnership with the Rochester Relay for Life.

Throughout the event there will be entertainment on the main stage following the Opening Ceremony. Beginning at 10:30 with the event DJ, Mind Busters Trivia, who will continue to entertain the crowd in between the live acts. At 11:30 am St. Luke's Praise Band will perform. It is a collective of musicians, some of whom have been singing together for over 10 years. The praise team was originally created in 2006 to provide contemporary music for a newly created, experiential worship service called Sunday Night Lite.

Survivor/Caregiver Recognition Ceremony and Lap will be held at 11 am where we will hear from 18 year Breast Cancer Survivor, Susan Foltin. Susan will share her journey through cancer and share a bit about her career as she studies head and neck cancers in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Michigan. Margaret Dimond, CEO of Crittenton Hospital Medical Center will welcome the survivors and caregivers prior the "Victory Lap" of the Survivors and Caregivers. Following the Ceremony and Lap, all survivors and caregivers are invited for a light luncheon provided by DiBella's Subs and CK Diggs.

At 12:30 p.m. Fitness Instructor Susie Skibo will have a Zumba lesson. Followed at 1 p.m. with live band, Just Cause. They have been together for over a decade. New member, Paul Billeci is on lead guitar. Paul will join longtime members Dale Betts - guitar/vocals, Dave Bruce - bass and Keith Avallone - drums. All members are from the town of St. Clair Shores Michigan and are in the process of refining songs for their third studio album. They will be followed at 2:00 p.m. by Copperwheel, a 4-piece, guitar-driven band based in the Metro Detroit area. The Copperwheel sound is deeply rooted in rock and roll from today and yesterday - from bar room favorites to concert-like anthems. Audience participation is highly encouraged - sing, clap your hands, dance, and whatever else your soul moves you to do. Copperwheel always provides a high energy, fun, and entertaining music experience for any event. At 6:00 p.m. Telephon9 will perform. They are an American pop music group from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of brothers Chris Call and Jair Alexander. Their music is a mixture of old school analog sounds, fused with hard hitting modern electric dance beats. Producer/writer/vocalist, Chris Call has been trained in classical piano since the age of three and later won a full scholarship to study acting and grad school. Jair Alexander is the second vocalist/writer/producer of the duo who has been trained in theater, dance and choral music. Telephon9 aspires to make music that not only excites and entertains, but leaves a lasting impact as well. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. there will be On & Off Track yard games, including karaoke, Birdie on a Perch and BarBango.

Other events taking place during the day will the Silent Auction beginning at 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pinot's Palette Painting Party will take place in the Main tent from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. followed by a "Healthy Cooking Demonstration" from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, Joey from Channel 95.5 will be there to announce silent auction winners and host a Mission-related trivia game!

A new addition this year, the Garden of Remembrance will be a special place of solace and reflection. An area around the walking path will be designated as the “Garden of Remembrance.” This area, which will be a special place of solace and reflection, will contain boards displaying stories of your loved ones and friends affected by cancer (someone lost to cancer). The story about the person and/or by a poem, verse, or message dedicated to that person can be accompanied with pictures. Pictures can be mounted on cardstock or poster board.

The Luminaria Ceremony will be held at 10 pm to remember those who has lost their courageous fight against cancer, honor those who continue to fight and support those who may be caregivers. Rochester Pride will perform during the ceremony and a silent lap lead by Bagpiper, Donald Ross will conclude the ceremony.

Closing Ceremonies will take place at 11:30 p.m. and the event will conclude at 12:00 a.m.

Make a difference and join the Rochester Relay. Register as a survivor, start a team of your own, join an existing team, order a luminaria, or make a donation to this event, please visit Relay Online: www.relayforlife.org/rochestermi. Sign up today to become a part of the Relay For Life effort in our community and you too can fight back against cancer.

Anyone interested in learning more about Relay for Life or in joining a team are encouraged to please contact Rachel Scheich by phone at 248.663.3436 ext. 3436 or by email at rachel.scheich@cancer.org or you can visit the website at www.relayforlife.org/rochestermi to get more information on the event, start a team online or make a donation. You can also follow the event on Facebook at “Relay for Life of Greater Rochester.”