Relay for Life 2012, a 24-hour relay-style walk-athon, is a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society in which participants walk around a track for 24 hours. The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Members of each team take turns walking around the track while their team members cheer them on from their camps alongside the track. There are also food, games and activities to provide entertainment and fundraising opportunities during the family-friendly event. Because it‚s a relay-style event, team members are not required to be there the entire 24 hours, but most find it‚s so much fun they find it hard to leave.
In past years, Relay for Life Morongo Basin has been held at the Yucca Valley High School Track, but this year, the track will be undergoing maintenance, and so the Relay for Life has been moved. The 2012 Relay for Life will be held at the Twentynine Palms Junior High School Track, 5798 Utah Trail, across from Luckie Park, April 21-22.
The schedule for the Relay for Life Morongo Basin starts with a „surprise‰ birthday party for survivors on Saturday, April 14, with the time and location still to be announced.
The Relay for Life event starts with a Survivors‚ Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, at the Junior High School track. The actual Relay starts at 9 a.m. with a Survivors Lap, an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate their victories over cancer. Care givers are also recognized and celebrated at Relay For Life. These individuals give their time, love, and support to friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who face cancer.
At 8 p.m., when it‚s dark, the Luminaria Ceremony honors those who have been touched by cancer and remembers the loved ones who have been lost to the disease. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, with each bag bearing the name of a person touched by cancer. Participants often walk a lap in silence.
Finally, there is the Fight Back Ceremony, at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 22. Participants make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer. That personal commitment may be as simple as getting a screening test, quitting smoking, or talking to elected officials about cancer. By taking action, people are personally taking steps to save lives and fight back against a disease that takes too much
KCDZ-FM Z107.7 Radio is a major sponsor of the event and will broadcast live from the event for the entire 24 hours. For more information about participating in the Relay for Life, contact Cathy Inscore at c_j_inscore@yahoo.com or Diane Durden at durden_dm@yahoo.co
