Ready, Set, Relay For Life

The fight against cancer is a never ending battle, but the Yorktown community is doing everything it can.

One way of fighting cancer is by hosting Relay For Life at Jack DeVito Track and Field Friday, June 11. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at sunrise the next day.

The relay, which is held in more than 4,000 communities worldwide, represents the hope that people who lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the relay in Yorktown had 1,081 registrants.

"We'll probably have between 2 and 3,000 people there as the night goes on," Yorktown Relay For Life co-chairperson Jane McCarthy said. "We have 113 teams signed up. So far, at this moment, we have raised $160,926 so it is going to be $161,000 by the end of the day because it goes up exponentially by the hour at this point."

For McCarthy, this is her first year as a co-chairperson and second on the relay committee. In 2009 she was in charge of the recruiting team.   

Last year the Yorktown Relay For Life raised $216,000 and won first place in the New York Metro region. McCarthy said that the committee is hoping to beat that this year.

This is the fifth year of the relay in Yorktown. There is a tremendous interest and monetary support which shows that the community has gone out of its way to support Relay For Life.

"Our community is coming out because everybody has a story about cancer," McCarthy said. "Everybody wants to share their story and shed light on hope for a cure because it's such a terrible disease that everybody wants to see a cure."

The night begins with a survivor dinner.

"That is open to any survivor that has had cancer and all of the food for that night for that dinner is donated by local businesses and restaurants," McCarthy said. "We give each of them a survivor bag with goodies in it, they usually come with a caretaker and have dinner. Then, we have for the opening ceremonies the first lap, which is the survivor lap. So they usually come to dinner and then walk the survivor lap."

McCarthy said the event then has as a carnival atmosphere. Each team has a booth that can entail everything from popcorn and cotton candy, to face painting, to a dunk tank, a golf game, a jousting pit and goldfish.

Other booths will consist of various foods from hot dogs, hamburgers to baked goods, and jewelry.

"Each team comes out and sets up camp on the field and they fund raise for the night," McCarthy said.

She said the event takes place all night to show that cancer never sleeps. While some members fundraise, others are walking on the track. 

"We try to have someone on the track at all times to show what it would be like if you had cancer and it never went away and how we are bringing hope to the community," she said. 

The highlight of the night is the luminary ceremony where white paper bags are decorated in the memory of or in honor of someone who has cancer.

"Last year we had 1,700 bags, this year we are hoping for 2,000," McCarthy said. "And at 10 p.m. Friday night we will light those 2,000 bags and have a luminary ceremony to honor and remember all of the people who have been affected by cancer."

Here is the run down of events scheduled for Friday, June 11- Saturday, June 12:

Friday, June 11

5:00 p.m.       Registration Opens

5:30 p.m.        Survivor/Caregiver Reception

7:00 p.m.       Celebrate survivorship! Enjoy Dinner! Pick up your T-shirt and 

                               goody bag.

7:00 p.m.       Opening Ceremony

                       Master of Ceremonies – Randy Zapakin

                               Star Spangled Banner – Shannon  McMorris

                              Welcome – Gino Bottino, MD, American Cancer Society, Board of

                              Directors  

                              Danielle Werner, Jane McCarthy - Event Co-Chairs

                              Susan Siegel, Town of Yorktown, Supervisor

                              Sponsors – North County News

                              Westchester Medical Center        

                              Awards – Danielle Werner, Jane McCarthy, Co-chairs

                              Key to Relay Award – Dave and Nancy Paganelli

                             All Star Awards

                             Team Fundraising Club Members

7:25 p.m.     Club Fit Warm Up

7:30 p.m.    Honorary Survivor Lap - Survivors and Caregivers

                            YAC Cheerleaders

                            Ribbon Cutting

7:50 p.m.     Parade of Teams

8:00 p.m.    Club Fit Parisi Speed School Opens

8:10 p.m.     Chain of Hope Lap

8:30 p.m.   A World With More Birthdays Celebration

                           Crompond Elementary School – 3rd grade chorus

8:45 p.m.   Just Stand Up – sings

                           Quitters Lap (If you have ever quit smoking, in the process or want

                           some help quitting, please join us for this lap)

                           IPOD plays

9:00 p.m.   The Melillo Brothers Perform

9:45 p.m.   Vanessa Racciopo, Winner of Augie's Idol

10:00 p.m. Luminaria Ceremony

                            Speaker, Mark Lampersberger

                            Crompond Elementary School – 5th Grade Chorus

                            Four Candle Ceremony, The Lampersberger Family

                            The Luminellas

                            St. Patrick's Choir

                           Jimmy Keane – Bagpipes

10:45 p.m.   Raffle Drawings

11:00 p.m.  Open Mic – Hosted by Greg Cusano and Shannon Profita

                             Hopping Lap

12:30 a.m.  Dance Party

Sunrise:      Closing Ceremony

                            Fr. Augustine, St Patrick's Church