Relay for Life of Vancouver USA

Fight Back and Celebrate Life.

The Relay for Life of Vancouver will take place on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at Columbia River High School.

The Survivors and Caregivers Lap will kick off the 24th  Annual Relay For Life of Vancouver at 10:00 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012.   Survivors and Caregivers will walk the Columbia River High School track, surrounded by friends and family cheering them on.

A special Fight Back Ceremony, held during the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Vancouver, will provide everyone in all of Clark County the opportunity to make a pledge to take personal action in the fight against cancer. The ceremony will be held at Columbia River High School in Hazel Dell on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 5:00 pm.

 Anyone desiring to make a “fight back” pledge may do so by participating in the ceremony or by visiting Relay for Life of Vancouver .   Pledges are personal commitments to help the American Cancer Society achieve its mission of saving lives by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against the disease. Pledges may range from making lifestyle changes to reduce cancer risk, to volunteering for programs that help those battling cancer, to advocating that cancer be a priority for elected officials.     

“We all come to Relay For Life for similar reasons as we may have battled cancer ourselves or may have lost a loved one to the disease. Through the Fight Back Ceremony, we are able to join forces in making specific, individual commitments to do something to help eliminate cancer as a major health problem,” said Jule Webster, volunteer co-chair of the Relay event in Vancouver.

Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their camp sites during Relay. Relay celebrates people who have battled cancer, remembers loved ones lost, and provides participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease – all aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s efforts to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Also a part of Vancouver’s Relay For Life event is the Luminaria Ceremony, in which illuminated bags line the track, each bearing the name of someone who has fought cancer, to light the way for walkers.  The Luminaria Ceremony will start at 10:00 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012 along the track at Columbia River High School.