Organizers Preparing For 5th Annual Relay For Life

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the organizers of the Wilmington Relay for Life.)

This summer the Relay for Life of Wilmington and the American Cancer Society have much to celebrate.  The Relay came to Wilmington 5 years ago, and the American Cancer Society came to being 100 years ago.  Together local events and this national organization have made great strides in fighting back against cancer. 

Wilmington’s fifth Relay For Life will be held June 14-15 from 5:30 pm until 6:30 am at Shawsheen Valley Technical School.  Since its beginning in 2009, Wilmington has raised $611,000.  Those funds help people get well and stay well by supporting research to find cures and funding services such as rides to treatments. In its very first year, the local event earned the distinction of the 2009 American Cancer Society New England Division #1 New Community Relay.

As in the past, the June 14^th Relay For Life will be an overnight event.   Teams will camp out at the high school and take turns walking.  Each team is asked to have a representative walking at all times during the event because cancer never sleeps.  The fun family-oriented gathering provides people with an opportunity to come together and share in the message of hope.  Cancer survivors, their loved ones and others from the community celebrate and remember together.  There’s music, food, fun and games for all.

But the real celebration begins the month before. This May is the 100^th anniversary of the American Cancer Society, and thanks to all of the countless Relay participants, volunteers and donors across the country, they are making a difference in the fight against cancer.  A new American Cancer Society report, released in January 2013, shows a 20 percent decline in cancer mortality from its peak in 1991.  This translates to 1.2 million less deaths from cancer.

These figures come from the American Cancer Society’s annual Cancer Statistics Report, one of the most widely cited medical publications in the world.  “While the American Cancer Society has been fighting cancer for a century now, we hope to make this cancer's last century and to finish the fight!” says Ashlee Iber, ACS Community Executive Development representative.

Community events such as the Relay for Life not only raise funds for this goal, but they raise awareness.  They also provide education to prevent the disease and support to those coping with it now. To learn how you can be a part of this year’s anniversary celebration, visit www.wilmingtonrfl.com or contact Ashlee Iber at 781.314.2652.