Teams gathered at Durham County Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. to begin the overnight relay in which participants walked around the track and took part in activities off the track. Participants began their final lap at noon on Sunday.
"Relay For Life is a unique opportunity for our community to come together in the fight against cancer," Diane Turnbull, chair of the Durham Relay for Life, said. "Many of the participants are cancer survivors, which serves as a reminder that our community is not immune to this disease and we can actually help our friends, families and neighbors that have been touched by cancer."
In addition to the relay-style walk, activities included a moonwalk, scavenger hunt, silent auction and performances by several local entertainers.
A luminary ceremony also was held Saturday night to honor cancer survivors and to remember those who have died as a result of cancer. During this ceremony, names of survivors and those who have died were read aloud as survivors circled the track, rimmed with luminaries.
Funds that were raised during the event support cancer research and community education programs as well as support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families.
Other communities also have held Relay for Life events recently. The Garner Relay for Life was held on April 29, and the Cary/Apex/Morrisville Relay for Life was held last weekend.
Several other communities also plan to hold Relay for Life events in the coming months. For example, the Relay for Life of Johnston County will be held June 3 in Smithfield.
For more information about this event and when your community may hold one, please visit the American Cancer Society web site at
www.cancer.org
or call
1-800-ACS-2345
.
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