Relay for Life starts today
Sep. 29—HENDERSON — Local residents are taking a stand against cancer this afternoon as part of a Night of HOPE.
Vance County Relay for Life is putting on the event alongside St. James Missionary Baptist Church. The relay will take place at the Henderson Family YMCA at 380 Ruin Creek Road from 4 to 8 p.m.
"It is a community event that brings people together to celebrate the lives of those who battled cancer and remember those who have lost their battle," said Freddie Harris, coordinator for the event.
Besides the relay itself, there will be food trucks, vendors, games and other activities for attendees to partake in, said Harris. A violinist will provide some live music.
Mayor Eddie Ellington and City Manager Terrell Blackmon are slated to speak during the opening ceremony. People who have survived cancer will then take a lap, followed by caregivers. Later in the evening, there will be a luminaria ceremony when homemade paper lanterns will be placed along the track, upon each a name of someone who passed away during their fight with cancer.
Luminaries are $10 apiece or $25 for three, and will be sold at the event. Proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. As of the time of writing, VCRL has raised $6,454 to fight cancer.
COVID-19 put a stop to Relays for Life in Vance County. As a cancer survivor herself, Harris had realized that "We stop, but cancer doesn't."
Relay for Life got its start in 1985 after one Dr. Gordon Klatt walked for 24 straight hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington, raising $27,000 for the ACS.
