The Fayetteville-Manlius area Relay for Life will begin its fundraising efforts for the annual event with a kick-off dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the F-M high school cafeteria. Admission to the event is $20 per person and dinner is being provided by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Those looking to attend are asked to RSVP by Friday, March 6, by emailing [email protected].
Relay For Life is a 12-hour community-based fundraising event which benefits the American Cancer Society (ACS). Each year, an estimated 5,000 relay events are held in 20 countries, and this year there are four registered events in Central New York alone. To participate, anyone interested is encouraged to either join a team or become a team captain and start their own.
After a 10-year absence, F-M high school science teacher Ben Gnaick gathered a group from the F-M Science Honor Society to put on a relay event in 2014 that raised more than $68,000.
This year is the first year F-M students have started a formal club to make plans for the annual fundraiser, under the guidance of Gnacik.
According to Gnacik, several subcommittees have been created for the club, including chairs for events, survivorship and corporate sponsorship. Each Wednesday, the leaders of these subcommittees meet in Gnacik’s classroom to discuss details about raising funds, gaining sponsors in the local community and organizing both the main relay event and events leading up to it.
The club has set several goals for this year’s relay that includes raising more than $100,000 and having more than 1,000 people be involved, according to the Relay Club President Teagan Neveldine.
“We want people to know it’s not a running relay,” said Neveldine. “You can run if you want to, but the point is to get people from all parts of the community to come together for a really good cause.”
Andrea Aquino, community manager for the Relay for Life, meets with the club weekly to give advice on what should be done and to help with fundraising efforts. Money raised from all Relay for Life events go to the ACS, which helps fund grants provided by the group, patient services, awareness and lobbying that is done by the ACS, said Aquino.
“Relay is a powerful way for a community to support the cause of fighting against cancer,” Aquino said. “I encourage anyone who is interested to come and check it out.”
In addition to the kick-off dinner on March 12, the club will hold several other fundraising events before the relay, including a silent auction and a wine tasting event.
This year’s F-M Relay for Life will be held 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, at the Fayetteville-Manlius high school’s track.
For more information to find out how to get involved or to donate, visit relayforlife.org/fayettevillemanliusny.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
