Round-the-clock ‘Relay For Life’ today at Burgess Park

Emily LeDeu of Menlo Park, posted this in the Around Town category of Town Square.

Walkers and runners will go around the clock in the battle against cancer during the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Menlo Park on Saturday, Aug. 11.

Teams of Menlo Park residents will gather at Burgess Park at 10 a.m. for a 24-hour relay.

Relay For Life is a family-oriented team event, where participants can walk or run relay-style around the track and take part in fun activities off the track. Teams can include co-workers, club members, family and friends who have gathered donations prior to the event.

Many participants are cancer survivors.

The public is also invited to attend the luminaria ceremony, which will take place after sundown. To honor the community’s cancer survivors and to commemorate those lost to the disease, survivors will circle the track rimmed with glowing luminarias while the names of survivors and those lost to the disease are read aloud. Luminarias can be purchased for $10 by calling 650-773-7922 or visiting the event Web site at http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/menlopark

Funds raised by Relay For Life will enable the American Cancer Society support local services for cancer patients and their families, such as Reach to Recovery, a peer-to-peer support program for women with breast cancer, and “I Can Cope,” a series of classes to educate those touched by cancer.

Funds also support critical cancer research and community education programs designed to teach people how to reduce their risk of developing cancer.

Relay For Life events will be held in more than 400 communities throughout California, raising $38 million for the fight against cancer. The American Cancer Society is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

To locate a Relay For Life event and find out how you can get involved, please call 800/ACS-2345, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit http://www.cancer.org .