First ‘Relay for Life’ in Jamaica

Hundreds of participants came together to honor cancer survivors, their caregivers and to pay tribute to those who have lost their battle to cancer at the first annual Relay For Life of Jamaica to support cancer research, education, advocacy and patient & family services in the community.
The relay was held on Saturday, June 17. Queens residents, cancer survivors, caregivers, family members, corporate sponsors, individuals and relay teams gathered together for a day of celebration at the Roy Wilkins Park track located on Merrick Boulevard and 119th Avenue in Jamaica.
The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life is a community celebration where people camp out, dance, and take turns walking, running or otherwise moving around a track, “relay” style, to raise funds to fight cancer. At nightfall, participants light hundreds of luminaria bags around the track in a moving ceremony to honor cancer survivors as well as friends and family members lost to the disease.
Cancer survivors took their traditional victory lap Saturday around the track to begin the relay. The event included teams of 10 to 15 people who took turns circling the track.
The relay ran all day into the night from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Opening ceremonies and a survivors lap began at noon. The traditional luminaria lighting ceremony was held around 10:00 p.m. followed by the closing ceremony.
Since 1985, this community event has grown into a worldwide movement that has spread to over 4,700 communities across the country and twenty countries around the world. Relay For Life is the largest grassroots fundraiser in the world and gives everyone an opportunity to do his or her part in the fight against cancer.
For those who participate in Relay For Life, the event represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that the disease will one day be eradicated.
There is one remaining Relay For Life in Queens scheduled for June 24th at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village. For more information about that event or for additional cancer information, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org/relayonline.