Relay for Life Returns to Gloucester Twp. This Weekend

Eleven years ago, Tracey Trotto participated in her first-ever Relay for Life, in Medford, Burlington County.

Two years ago, Trotto brought the American Cancer Society fundraiser to Gloucester Township.

Relay for Life returns to for a third year this Saturday.

If you drive down Chews Landing Road near the park, in the township's Laurel Springs section, any time between 8 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, you're sure to see tents, campers, candles and, most importantly, hundreds of people dedicated to raising money to help fund cancer research and patient-assistance programs.

The good news: There's still time to participate in the local Relay for Life fundraiser and there's definitely still time to donate to the Relay for Life cause. To sign up a team or to make a donation, visit the Gloucester Township Relay for Life web page.

"It's a great way to be involved in the community," Trotto said. "It's a chance for survivors, caregivers, their family, their friends to come together to see they're not alone in their fight or in their journey."

In Camden County, the numbers certainly suggest that a common saying about the disease—everyone knows someone affected by cancer—is true. On average, 54 people are diagnosed with the disease and 21 die from it each week in the county, Trotto said.

According to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life website, the overnight event, held in towns around the world on different dates, "helps communities ... celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease."

In its first two years, Gloucester Township Relay for Life brought in a bit over $127,000 for American Cancer Society, according to Trotto, the event chairwoman and a member of Township Council.

Through Monday night, more than 400 people had signed up for the local Relay for Life, Trotto said, garnering more than $42,000 in donations for the event, which will see teams' participants walking the track at Veterans Memorial Park the entire 23 hours.

Trotto expects upwards of 1,000 people to participate in this year's event, which will also include bake sales and other fundraising activities within the larger relay-style event.

Some schedule highlights from the 23-hour event:

• 1 p.m. - Survivors' luncheon
• 9 p.m. - Luminaria ceremony (Bagged candles are set up around the Vets Park track to light the park overnight.)
• 10 p.m. - Fight Back ceremony