VERO BEACH — Walkers will go around the clock in the battle against cancer when the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Indian River gets underway with teams of residents gathering at the Vero Beach High School Citrus Bowl on April 26 at 6 p.m.
Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out at the high school’s football field, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track at all times throughout the evening.
Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their campsites during Relay. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups, people from all walks of life; all aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s mission to save lives.
The event theme this year, “Birthday Bash: 100 Wishes for A Cure,” is in celebration of the American Cancer Society’s 100th birthday and the Society’s mission to “create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”
This family event is open to the public with free admission and free parking. The main event sponsors this year are Piper, Coastal Radiation & Oncology, and Wells Fargo.
Survivors, caregivers, fundraising teams, and the general public are invited to gather at the 50 yard line in front of the stage for the opening ceremony with keynote speaker Dr. Bill McGarry, an oncologist and cancer survivor.
Following the opening ceremony is the Survivor/Caregiver Victory Lap which will be led by the Vero Beach High School Drum Line. Wheelchair assistance will be provided by Perkins Medical Supply with escort by local veterans.
At the conclusion of the opening lap, survivors and their caregivers will be invited to a complimentary dinner served under the big tent.
The Survivor Sponsors are Vero Radiology Associates and Children’s Cancer Cooperative.
The evening will be filled with music provided by Treasure Coast Event Planning and will include a variety of entertainment. Teams will host campsites with food, games, crafts, and chance drawings as part of their efforts to raise funds for cancer research and services.
Everyone is invited to dedicate a Luminaria bag in honor or memory of someone who has battled cancer. Luminaria bags may also be dedicated in support of caregivers or appreciation of anyone who has helped a cancer patient.
Luminaria bag dedications are accepted online at www.RelayForLife.org/IndianRiverFL or on the day of the event at the west end of the field near the main entry gate.
These bags will line the perimeter of the track and will be lighted with candles just before the Luminaria Ceremony begins. The Luminaria Ceremony is sponsored by Indian River Medical Center and Primary Care of the Treasure Coast
“Relay For Life is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Bridget Grall, Relay For Life of Indian River chair.
“Many of the participants are cancer survivors, which serves as a reminder that our community is not immune to this disease and that by participating in Relay, we are joining with the American Cancer Society’s efforts to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. This will be Indian River County’s largest birthday bash ever,” Grall added.
Funds raised at Relay For Life of Indian River help the American Cancer Society to impact the lives of those touched by cancer. In 2012, Relay For Life events across the great state of Florida raised over $20 million to help cancer patients and their families in local communities and to fund lifesaving cancer research.
The Relay For Life of Indian River raised an astounding $97,000 to help the American Cancer Society save more lives by helping people stay well, by helping them get well, by finding cures and fighting back.
The American Cancer Society is the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States. This year 175 national research and training grants totaling more than $79 million have been awarded for fiscal year 2013.
The grants will fund investigators at 93 institutions across the United States; 164 are new grants, while 11 are renewals of previous grants. The grants will go into effect July 1, 2013.
An additional 71 research applications for funding totaling more than $37 million have been approved but could not be funded due to budgetary constraints. The “pay-if” grants represent work that passed the society’s multi-disciplinary review process and are beyond the Society’s current funding resources.
They are available for funding by individual donors. In 2012, $10 million dollars was donated to fund “pay-if” grants.
For more than 65 years, the American Cancer Society has funded research and training of health professions to investigate the causes, prevention, and early detection of cancer, as well as new treatments, cancer survivorship, and end of life support for patients and their families.
Over the years, the American Cancer Society has devoted more than $3.9 billion to cancer research and has funded 46 researchers who have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.
Everyone is invited to celebrate again at the Relay For Life of the Beaches on May 3 at Riverside Park. The same schedule of ceremonies is planned.
The theme for the Beaches’ community event is “Reality TV: Let’s Make a Cure a Reality.”