Relay for Life begins June 8

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New Richmond’s annual Relay for Life is set to begin Friday, June 8, when 25 teams take to the middle school track for the 24-hour event.

The relay, which is designed to help raise money for the American Cancer Society, lasts all night because “cancer never sleeps.” Relay participants are not required to walk all night, but each team should have a representative on the track at all times during the event.

New Richmond’s event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on June 8 at the New Richmond Middle School track, 920 Riley Ave. The event will conclude at 2 p.m. on June 9.

The opening ceremony, which will feature a speech by honorary co-chairman TJ Helgeson, will begin at 6 p.m. The luminaria ceremony will feature a speech by Chuck Kruschke at 10 p.m.

Among the highlights for the relay are:

The Survivors Lap: (6 p.m. Friday.) Relay typically begins with a Survivors Lap, an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories achieved over cancer.

The Luminaria Ceremony: (10 p.m. Friday.) After dark, participants honor people who have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria Ceremony.

Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence.

The Fight Back Ceremony: Last, there is a Fight Back Ceremony, where participants make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer.

Just like last year, local stylists will be donating their time to cut hair, which will then be donated to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program, which creates wigs for cancer patients. There will also be special survivor events, guest speakers, kids games, education, food and silent auction items.

The 24-hour event is free and open to everyone.

Tags: new richmond, communities, health