BRUNSWICK — After months of preparation and seeking sponsorships, teams of community members who have joined forces to fight for a future free of cancer will mobilize at the Brunswick High School track Friday evening for the annual overnight Relay For Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
This year’s event will start at 6 p.m. Friday and conclude at 6 a.m. Saturday. Registration and luminaria sales start at 4 p.m. Friday, at which time a reception for cancer survivors and caregivers also begins. The field opens for campsite setup at 3 p.m.
Relay For Life is a 12-hour, overnight event, symbolic of the fact that cancer never sleeps. The event not only raises money for the American Cancer Society, it allows participants to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer and allows the strength of survivors to in spire others in their fight against cancer, according to a release from organizers.
A lap for survivors and caregivers will follow the opening ceremony. Whether part of a team or not, cancer survivors, patients and caregivers from throughout the area are invited to unite in a victory lap immediately after the 6 p.m. opening ceremony.
Likewise, members of the community are invited to the luminaria ceremony at 9 p.m. Sale of luminaria bags ($10 each) will close at 8 p.m. Luminaria are candle lanterns — lit with glow sticks this year — bearing the names of people who have been affected by cancer.
“As the sun sets over the campsites and track Friday and darkness falls, the night will be brightened by the dramatic glow of the luminaria honoring individuals who have battled cancer,” the release states.
Dan Wells and Chris Angeline will perform folk music during the survivor and caregiver reception at 4 p.m. Got Rhythm, a Johnny Cash cover band, will perform in the hospitality tent from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Singer-songwriter Steve Koelker will perform at 10 p.m., following the luminaria ceremony. Matt Newberg will perform folk at 11:30 p.m., and contemporary acoustic and Irish headliner Jud Caswell is slated to take the stage at 1 a.m. Other activities will include Zumba dancing, balloon twisting, games, contests, theme laps and more.
Relay participants who plan to camp overnight are advised to bring trash bags, tents and sleeping gear, warm clothes, sunscreen, flashlights, walking shoes, extra socks, water bottles, travel mugs and cash for fundraisers. A volunteer with a golf cart will help transport gear Friday.
Funds raised by the Relay For Life of Brunswick go directly to programs that benefit local people. This includes a free summer camp at Camp Rainbow in Ellsworth for children ages 4 to 18 who have been diagnosed with cancer (and their families); support for cancer resource centers in community hospitals including Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick; funding for the ACS “Look Good, Feel Better” program in which cosmetologists provide free consultations to help patients cope with appearance related side effects of cancer treatment; and free lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers traveling far from home for treatment.
Brunswick High School is located at 116 Maquoit Road.
For more information or a full event schedule, call 373- 3703 or visit www.relayforlife.org/brunswickme.
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