 |
|
COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
|
| Claremont Mayor Ellen Taylor throws pies at Claremont City Manager Jeff Parker and Assistant City Manager Tony Ramos at the city’s Relay for Life fundraiser last Friday in front of City Hall. |
Relay For Life returns to Claremont
Throughout each year, the community of Claremont comes together for a variety of events that represent various causes. In just 10 days, representatives of Claremont, Upland and other cities will join together at Claremont High School Stadium for yet another worthy cause.
The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, a 24-hour community/cancer awareness event that takes place across the country, is set to return to Claremont. The community will take part in the fight against cancer as well as honor survivors and remember the people who lost to disease.
With this year’s theme being to “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back,” Claremont’s Relay for Life event will take place from Saturday May 17 through Sunday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.
“When I was asked to do it, I thought, ‘If I could help, why not?’” said Nusha Shishegar, Claremont’s Relay for Life event chair. “I thought that this was a good way to give back to the community and get involved. This is my first year and, in putting it together, I found it to be a little overwhelming at times. But I have a good team and the people I’ve been working with have done it longer.”
The origin of Relay for Life came about in the mid-1980s when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and show support for his patients who had personally fought against cancer. As a result, Dr. Klatt spent 24 hours circling the track at the University of Puget Sound in May 1985 and went on to raise $27,000 with the support of family, friends and patients. One year later, the first team relay event was held.
While a major aspect of Relay for Life is the money that is raised for the American Cancer Society from circling the track, the event also becomes a community-building event where people from different walks of life come together for the cause of cancer awareness. Local musicians provide entertainment throughout the day, food is donated from various local businesses, charitable organizations such as Locks of Love participate and various ceremonies are held in order to not only honor cancer survivors but also those who lost the battle to cancer. (story continues below)
 |
|
COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
|
| Assistant City Manager Tony Ramos and Burt and Rocky’s employee Jolene Gonzales serve up ice cream during Scoop Night to raise money for Relay for Life. This year’s Relay Foe Life is May 17 through May 18 at the Claremont High School track. |
As of Sunday, this year’s Claremont Relay for Life has already raised nearly $9000, has 30 teams and more than 300 participants signed up for the 24-hour event. The Claremont-based event also includes representatives from the city of La Verne.
“I’ve been getting involved more each year,” said Michele Guard, a member of Team Claremont and has participated in the relay for 5 years. “Every year you meet new people and that’s one of the reasons why I keep helping. It’s an event that brings everyone together.”
For many of the participants in the annual occasion, Relay for Life is an event that has a personal feel to it because a participant is a cancer survivor or because a friend or family member of a participant has either survived cancer or died as a result of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 745,180 men and 692,000 women in the United States can be classified as cancer cases with an estimated 294,120 men and 271,530 women likely to die as a result of the disease this year.
“That team that I am on was started after my Aunt Cynthia [Vant Hul] was diagnosed with breast cancer and now she is a survivor—but she is one of the reasons that we walk,” said Vanessa Lozano, team captain of Rebels With a Cause. “My aunt worked for the city when she was going through it and the city did so much for her which is why we walk for the Claremont relay. We also have active family members either beating cancer or fighting it. We’ve been hit very hard [by the disease] but that is what pushes us as a family to fight it.”
The desire to honor a loved one is also what has driven Wendy Clements to be involved in this year’s Relay for Life.
“I lost my cousin in January and I wanted to do something to commemorate her,” she said. “One of my clients came in one day and she started talking about Relay for Life and I decided that I wanted to do it. I’m looking forward to it.”
For more information on this year’s Claremont Relay for Life event, call (626) 966-9994, ext.13 or visit the Claremont Relay for Life website at www.events.cancer.org/RFLClaremontCA.
—Landus Rigsby
