Fun, games include ugliest bridesmaid’s dress, manly
More than 350 people have already signed up to walk around the clock in the battle against cancer during the 14th Annual Relay for Life in St. Charles Parish.
Teams of St. Charles Parish residents will gather at the West Bank Bridge Park on Saturday, April 21 at 3 p.m. for an overnight relay against cancer.
The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life is a family-oriented team event where participants walk relay-style around the track and take part in fun activities off the track. Teams include coworkers, club members, family members and friends who have gathered donations prior to the event.
So far, 354 participants on 33 teams have signed up for the relay and organizers hope to raise $100,000 for the fight against cancer.
But Relay for Life is not just a fundraiser.
There are several games and activities planned for the participants, including horseshoes, volleyball, a cook-off, car show and a fireworks display.
Contests will be held to find the ugliest bridesmaid’s dress and the most manly beauty queen. Several musical acts will also serenade the crowd. Because the theme is “Relay Goes to the Movies,” each campsite has chosen a movie for its theme.
“It’s a chance for our wonderful community to come together for a great cause,” Audrey Raziano, event organizer, said. “It never ceases to amaze me how supportive this community is when it comes to the needs of others.”
Admission to the event is free and open to the public.
The public is also invited to attend the Luminaria Ceremony, which will take place after sundown at 8:30 p.m. To honor the community’s cancer survivors and to remember those lost to the disease, survivors will circle the track rimmed with glowing luminaria while the names of survivors and those lost to the disease are read aloud.
“Each year seeing the numbers of survivors grow is bittersweet,” Raziano said. “It is a constant reminder that cancer is there but each year as you see the number of survivors attending grow you realize that we are making a difference – we are winning small battles on the way to winning the war.”
Funds raised at Relay For Life will enable the American Cancer Society to support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families. Funds also support critical cancer research and community education programs designed to teach people how to reduce their risk of developing cancer.
“I think the general theme of the event – remember, celebrate, fight back – allows anyone touched by cancer, personally or through a loved one, the opportunity to participate,” Raziano said. “You can remember the ones who lost the battle, celebrate with survivors and fight back with those who are still in their battle.”
The event is scheduled to end at 5 a.m. on Sunday. Those interested in signing up for Relay for Life may do so at www.relayforlife.org/stcharles.
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