The City of Delano held its annual Relay For Life fundraising event for the American Cancer Society on April 16 at Delano High School. The theme this year was One Day, One Night, One Community, One Fight. According to the American Cancer Society and the Relay For Life website the 24-hour event is held to raise funds for the fight against cancer. The focus of Relay For Life is to celebrate the survivors who have battled cancer and to remember those loved ones who lost their fight against the disease.
Relay For Life was the creation of Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Washington who ran and walked a track for 24 hours to raise funds for the American Cancer Society back in 1985.
To continue his efforts, community businesses, organizations, schools and families organize individual teams that choose a particular type of cancer intended to create awareness and to educate the public of the many different forms and outcomes to this disease. The event is known as an all-night community slumber party with the idea that cancer never sleeps. Teams participate in relays and activities throughout the entire day and into the night.
This year 58 teams and over 900 people participated. The Bakersfield College Delano Campus Renegades, La Vina Middle School, Community Worship Center, Delano Starbucks, Albany Park Panthers and Morningside Mariners are just a few of the sponsored teams that set up camp and their individual fund raising booths for this year’s event.
The all-night affair drew quite a large crowd to the Delano High School campus track field where they held raffles, listened to live music, played volleyball and enjoyed the food and different kinds of merchandise provided by all the teams to support their causes.
Opening ceremonies began at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday; the Survivors lap at around 9 a.m., the Luminaria Ceremony around 7:30 p.m. followed by the Fight Back and Closing Ceremony at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The main relay competition was the cardboard boxcar races.
“It’s important to relay for me because in May my mother was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and we lost her in February,” said Armie Mechem from one team supporting that type of cancer.
Yolanda Herrera brought her team together in memory of her late father who was lost to Pancreatic Cancer. This was their sixth year she has had a relay team at the Relay For Life events. “We started with the hope that other families wouldn’t suffer the kind of loss that we had,” said Herrera. “We originally started in memory of my dad, but also in memory of an aunt who passed from cancer and to also honor all the family members who have survived all types of cancer,” Herrera added.
Helen Calip is a team member from the BC Delano Campus team and this was their second year to the Relay For Life. This is Delano’s 11th year participating in the fundraiser. “It’s bigger than ever this year,” said Calip. “It’s just a great way to just come together as a community and encourage support and create awareness of the American Cancer Society,” said Calip.