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Niagara Falls Relay For Life set for May 18

by jmaloni
Sat, May 4th 2013 07:00 am

The fifth annual Niagara Falls Relay For Life, a signature fund raising event for the American Cancer Society, will take place on Saturday, May 18, from noon to midnight on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls.

Recognizing the 100th anniversary for the American Cancer Society, organizers report the Niagara Falls Relay is making big changes.

Members of the Downtown Niagara Falls Business Association, who are hosting their 5K run on May 18, have joined the Relay committee along with area schools, local businesses and members of the community to bring this event to the heart of Niagara Falls. And, the Relay committee is excited to have on board a number of businesses. Included are the Hard Rock Café, which will be hosting a luncheon during the event for Falls Relay cancer survivors; the NCCC Culinary Institute; New ERA; Mass Mutual; Old Falls St.; Sevenson Environmental Services; and Northern Customs Services.

The Niagara Falls Parks Commission will light Niagara Falls purple during the evening of the event, and teams are working hard on their personal and team fundraising events and goals.

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Niagara Falls will be a 12-hour celebration where people take turns walking, running or otherwise circling around a track "relay" style to raise funds to fight cancer.

"You don't need to be a track star to be a winner in this race for life. The idea is to enjoy your time, dance, play games, check out our basket raffle, and enjoy the presence of others all while raising money to fight cancer, and provide services to cancer patients and their families," said organizer Will Sherman.

He reports there will be music from the likes of Jamie Holka, Saxman Slim, Steve Balesteri, Brent Persia, Billy Draws Two and Devan Golda. One of the many highlights of the event is the "Luminaria" service, or candlelight vigil, held at nightfall to honor cancer survivors and caregivers and to remember those lost to cancer.

"This year, we will light a path from our event on Falls Street down to the falls itself," Sherman said. "We invite all of the community to join us by registering a team for the event, or just come and spend some time with us on May 18 right here on Old Falls Street. We want to share our passion for finishing the fight against cancer with you."

The opening ceremony will be at noon, following the DNFBA 5K Run. Other ceremonies taking place will be the "Fight Back Ceremony" at 3 p.m., a "Caregiver Ceremony" at 6 p.m., and a moving "Luminaria Ceremony" at 9 p.m. A basket raffle will run from 1 to 7 p.m., with winning numbers to be posted at 7:30 p.m.

More information is available at www.relayforlife.org/niagarafallsNY, or by contacting Kristine Groff at the ACS office at 716-689-6982

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