Newtown’s First Relay For  Life Needs Volunteers Now

A volunteer open house will be held on Monday, November 17, from 7 to 8:30 pm, in the Middle School cafeteria for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life that is planned for next June 19 at Newtown High School.

Relay for Life, an overnight team event, represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated, explained local co-chair Dawn Escoda. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.

“Relay for life provides a way for people to satisfy fundamental needs of belonging, association, fellowship, and identity,” she said. “Even more important, it offers us an opportunity to serve others, to celebrate, and to express emotions of happiness, despair, and victory.”

Volunteers are needed now to help with the planning of this fundraising event, one of the American Cancer Society’s largest annual fundraisers. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature event that takes place in 2,900 towns across the country.

“People are saying they will get involved later because the date seems so far off, but that will be too late,” said co-chair Ivette Gerics.

“We need the community’s support at the upcoming open house to continue with our mission,” Ms Escoda said. “The planning of the relay is a yearlong process and we are currently looking for several people to help with a variety of tasks. Whether you can help a little or a lot, your time and talent can help make this first relay in our community a night to remember.”

In the relay, teams walk in shifts, keeping at least one member on the track, in a relay fashion throughout the night. Anyone can take part by forming a team, volunteering, sitting on the planning committee, joining in the survivors’ lap, or by purchasing a luminaria in honor of someone who has survived cancer or in memory of someone.

Although participants are carrying their own personal experiences and stories to the Relay for Life, the symbolism of the event — from the survivors’ walk that kicks off the relay to the bright glow of the luminaria lining the track for those who have lost their lives to cancer — promises to galvanize the different reasons people have for walking.

Anyone who has questions about how to help can contact Ms Escoda at 270-7541 or Ms Gerics at 426-3589.