Community Corner
Chatham Prepares for First Relay for Life
Fundraiser for American Cancer Society will be held June 1 and 2 at Haas Field.
Preparations for Chatham’s first Relay of Life, one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, are now in high gear.
Tony Britt, co-chairman of the event, told the Borough Council on Monday that a kickoff event on Feb 27 at the Chatham Borough Fire Hall attracted more than 40 people. "It was standing room only," he said.
He also said that 60 to 80 stores have agreed to serve as “donation points.”
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The Relay for Life is scheduled for June 1 and 2 at Haas Field at Chatham Middle School.
Relay for Life, according to the American Cancer Society, has raised more than $4 billion in the fight against cancer since its start in 1985. Each year more than 5,000 Relays in 20 countries raise $400 million.
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In the event, teams will camp out at the field, while team members take turns walking around the track. Team members raise money by soliciting pledges from relatives, friends, co-workers and businesses.
It is more than just a fundraising event, however: Relay for Life also celebrates those who have survived cancer. After the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. June 1, there will be a Survivor Lap when all cancer survivors take the first lap around the track.
At 9 p.m. there will be a Luminaria Ceremony to remember those people lost to cancer and at midnight, there will be a Fight Back Ceremony to mark the individual commitment to join the fight against cancer.
The event will end with an 8 a.m. Closing Ceremony that will honor both those claimed by cancer and those who have pledge to continue the struggle against cancer.
More information about the event can be found at the Chatham Relay for Life website. Jaime Bennett, manager of special events for the American Cancer Society in Cedar Knolls, can be contacted at jaime.bennett@cancer.org or 973-285-8028.
Britt said purple ribbons will be tied on trees throughout Chatham on May 1 to raise awareness of the event. “We will paint the town purple,” he said.
So far, according to the event’s Chatham website, 20 teams and 113 participants have raised $9,105.
“Anything we can do,” Councilman James Lonergan told Britt. “We will help out.”
