Relay for Life Raises over $75,000 to “Make Cancer History”

In memory of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, siblings and friends everywhere, who have suffered from cancer, Relay for Life of Clearwaterensured this past weekend that they were not forgotten.  Relay for Life Clearwater took place in Coachman Park on Friday, May 13^th and Saturday, May 14^th with an estimated 1,000 members of the community who came out to support the volunteer-driven event, including 65 cancer survivors. Over $75,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society.

For the 12^th year in a row, diverse groups from the community were united in one single cause – the fight against cancer. Participants from the corporate world formed teams, including:

• Target
• Starbucks
• Macy’s

The corporate and business teams pitched tents and camped out all night alongside participants from the government sector, including:

• The City of Clearwater
• The Clearwater Police Department

The non-profits, large and small, exhibiting constant dedication to the cause were in full force, including:

• The Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology
• The Clearwater Downtown Partnership 

Local dignitaries in attendance were:

• Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard
• Clearwater Vice Mayor George Cretekos
• Pinellas County Tax Collector Diane Nelson
• Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce President, Bob Clifford

“This event is helpful because it helps people know that a cancer diagnosis is not ‘the-end-of-life’ diagnosis,” says Dr. Hector A. Arango of West Coast Gynecologic Oncology. “With all the new advancements in medicine, people are living longer – this event is proof of that.”

Relay for Life Clearwater’s goal is to raise $100,000 at its 2012 event.

About Relay For Life:

Relay for Life is the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Because of Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society has raised over $3 billion to fund cancer research activities. Relay for Life also raises awareness of cancer, and the importance of cancer screenings, in an attempt to prevent preventable deaths from occurring.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second most common form of death in the United States, accounting for one out of four deaths. 569,490 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year alone, totaling more than 1,500 people a day.

The Relay for Life movement began in May of 1985 when surgeon Dr. Gordon Klatt honored his patients by walking around the track at the University of Puget Sound for 24 hours, symbolizing how cancer never sleeps. Friends paid $25 to walk or run with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes throughout the night, and he ended up raising $27,000 for cancer research.

More information can be found on the Relay for Life of Clearwater website at www.relayforlife.org/clearwaterfl

More information on Relay for Life is available at www.relayforlife.org

To learn more about the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org