Event joins in fight against cancer

National Honor Society students at Manchester Valley High School organized the first of six Relay For Life events in Carroll County to "Celebrate, Remember & Fight Back" against cancer.

This relay took place from 6 to 10:30 p.m. April 4 at the school.

At the event, there was a survivors hospitality area, survivors lap and a luminaria ceremony after sunset. Participants circled a track lined by glowing luminaria bearing the names of loved ones lost to cancer and those still fighting cancer. Luminaria could be purchased by anyone in the community.

Entertainment and games, including a three-legged race, helped the participating Relay For Life teams go all evening.

"We had to move indoors due to the weather but the school has a fantastic setup for an indoor relay and it worked out really well," Lori Crook, American Cancer Society Relay For Life specialist, wrote in an email.

The event raised approximately $12,600 to support the American Cancer Society's mission to find cures, provide services for cancer patients and their families, and help finish the fight against cancer.

Donations for the Manchester Valley Relay for Life are still being accepted at http://www.Relayforlife.org\mvhmd.

Visit http://www.Relayforlife.org or call Crook at 410-781-6907 for more information.

Dr. Gordy Klatt, a cancer physician in Takoma, Washington, created Relay For Life in 1985 by walking and running a track for 24 hours to raise funds to fight cancer. Relay For Life has become the largest fundraising event in the United States, taking place in more than 5,000 communities with approximately four million participants.