Relay For Life to be held June 6 at Bronte Creek Park

STORY BY MOLLY MUSSELWHITE

Hundreds of people will gather at Bronte Creek Provincial Park next month to offer their support to cancer victims.

Each year, volunteers from the Halton community raise money at Relay For Life for the Canadian Cancer Society. Volunteers include cancer survivors, relatives and friends of cancer victims and supporters of the cause. Last year $46,500,000 was raised across Canada.

“You put a team together and raise as much money as you can as a whole. As a breast cancer survivor I participate every year to show my support for other survivors and the families that have been affected by the disease,” says Burlington resident Jennifer Heaman.

The event lasts 24 hours, starting at 7 p.m. Participants set up tents and walk or run the track throughout the night. This year, Jack Astors will be sponsoring the event. Local bands will be providing the entertainment along with carnival games, arts and crafts, karaoke and many sponsored prizes to be won.

“Every year I meet other cancer survivors and I’m able to share my story and they share theirs. It really is a great opportunity to bring the community together in support to fight this awful disease,” says Heaman.

Currently the Burlington teams have raised a combined total of $50,000. This year’s theme is carnival and will include an assortment of carnival games for both children and adults along with fortune telling.

            “The money raised at Relay For Life goes towards the Canadian Cancer Society mission; which is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of quality of life of people living with cancer. We fund the very best research to better diagnose cancer, treat cancer, prevent cancer and obviously to find cures for all the different types of cancer,” said Relay For Life coordinator Stacey Palmer.

            Each team must pay a $10 registration fee and are asked to raise a combined total of $100. “The average Relay For Life team has 10 people, each one of these people raise on average $268, so if every team brought in one more person they could raise an additional $268. That might not seem like much, but at a single Relay For Life event with 50 teams that would mean an additional $13,400 to go towards research support and prevention initiatives,” said Palmer.

Visit convio.cancer.ca today to register or join a team today. Relay For Life will start at 7 p.m Friday June 6 and end Saturday June 7 at 7 a.m. Jack Astors will be providing appetizers for the participants along will other food and drink vendors. You can make a donation at relayforlife.ca.

Relayers make their rounds past the HOPE sign. Photo by Hannah Yoon.