Mt. Prospect/Prospect Heights Relay for Life Planning Underway

The 2013 American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Mt. Prospect/Prospect Heights will take place Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, in the Prospect High School stadium. Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser of the American Cancer Society. The event will take place from 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 18, to 6:00 a.m. Sunday, May 19. Community members and businesses can get involved in a variety of ways including: volunteering to join the planning committee, forming teams to fundraise and walk during the event; registering to participate in cancer survivor activities; purchasing luminarias to remember those lost to cancer, becoming corporate sponsors, and donating items for the raffle. For more information regarding the event or to get involved contact Andy Fry at the American Cancer Society (andy.fry@cancer.org) or Dave Jacobson at Prospect High School (david.jacobson@d214.org). The event website is www.relayforlife.org/mtprospectil.

Throughout the event teams walk laps around the Prospect track. Each team is encouraged to have some team members walking at all times (hence the "relay" idea). There are many events throughout the night and early morning: Opening Ceremony, survivor walk, survivor dinner, entertainment, raffle, Luminaria Ceremony, games and contests, onsite fundraisers, Fight Back ceremony, etc. Some people will only stay for a few hours, while others will bring tents and sleeping bags and stay all night; the choice is yours. The ACS uses the funds in the areas of patient services, education, advocacy, and research. One of the major goals of the event certainly is fundraising, but we are also very concerned with remembering those who have lost their battle, honoring those who are still fighting cancer, unite our community in the fight against cancer and to raise awareness of healthy lifestyle choices that can reduce the chances of developing cancer.