NORWICH – Relay For Life of Chenango County will hold its annual kick-off event from 5:30 to 7 tonight – with an informational meeting scheduled for 6 to 6:30 – in the Morrisville State College Norwich Campus Community room, 20 Conkey Ave.
All are welcome to attend, including potential team captains or members, survivors or sponsors, as the local Relay committee welcomes back its veteran teams and celebrates any new teams that will join in the fight against cancer this year.
Said Relay For Life of Chenango County event chair Marie DeSarro, “This is our way of kicking-off the 2013 Relay For Life season,” which brings hundreds of cancer survivors, their families and friends together year after year. This year, added DeSarro, will mark the 17th annual Relay For Life, which will take place July 19 and 20 at the Chenango County Fairgrounds.
Locally, Relay For Life has continued to grow and to succeed, according to DeSarro, due primarily to the fact that more and more people are touched by cancer in some way, shape or form. And living in a small community such as Chenango County, said DeSarro, makes it that much more likely that one’s life will be impacted by the awful disease.
“We’re a very tight-knit community, and regardless of where we’re all at financially, we pull together to help those in need,” she added. “It helps that every year we have new teams bringing new life to the event. We try to shake things up by having new activities and different special guests, but the teams are the true life of the event. They have really started to get into the themes that we pick each year and participate in all of the nightly activities. Their creativity and enthusiasm is what keeps this event alive each year.”
Last year’s Relay For Life surpassed its goal of $155,000, noted DeSarro, who said she and her fellow committee members are confident that this year’s goal of $158,000 can also be met. And that should come as no surprise, she added, as many first-time participants are eager to return, calling the experience an “extremely positive” one.
“Until you take part or even just come down to the fairgrounds, you don’t understand the true electricity and power of what we’re trying to do,” said DeSarro. “We’re part of an even bigger picture; not only does the money we raise help local Chenango County families in many ways, we also help to fund research and education that helps our neighbors all over the country and the world. To hear about some of the advances in these areas, it makes you think, ‘I helped with that. I’m making a difference.’”
DeSarro urged anyone who’s been touched by cancer – whether a survivor, caregiver, family member, co-worker or friend – to consider joining or starting a team. The best way to do so, she said, is to visit the local Relay’s website,
