The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Menlo Park will take place on Saturday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12, as local residents walk around the clock in the battle against cancer.
Teams of local residents will gather at Burgess Park starting at 10 a.m. Saturday for a 24-hour overnight relay. Each team will have at least one member walking on the track at all times during the event.
The relay is not a competition or a race, but rather a family-oriented community gathering, organizers say.
Menlo Park resident Jeannette McNeil said of her participation in last year’s relay, “The experience was so powerful for us because it was a wonderful way to honor family and friends who have survived cancer, as well as those who are no longer with us.”
The biggest group of walkers is expected at dusk when the Ceremony of Hope, or Luminaria Cermony, begins. Luminarias are bags filled with sand that have a small candle in them so they glow as the sun goes down.
Each Luminaria has the name of a person who has battled cancer, with a personal message. As they burn into the night, the candles light the way for walkers.
Funds raised at the relay will allow for the American Cancer Society to support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families. In addition, the funds support critical cancer research and community education programs.
Relay for Life extends beyond Menlo Park — 4,200 communities around the country have held their own relays, and 270 of those were in California.
For information on starting your own team, or joining an existing one, call 854-5228; for additional information, go to acsevents.org/relay/ca/menlopark.
