This year’s F-M Relay for Life is quickly approaching, and the student group helping to organize the fundraiser is looking for cancer survivors to participate in the annual Survivor’s Lap.
The F-M area Relay for Life is a 12-hour community-based fundraising event which benefits the American Cancer Society (ACS). Teams for the relay get together to raise money and spend the day walking laps and participating in various activities at the Relay for Life event.
The Survivor’s Lap is the first lap that kicks off the event and is done to celebrate the lives of those who have fought cancer, said Maya Schnall, coordinator for the F-M Relay for Life Survivor’s Lap.
“It’s about making sure that they know and everyone else there knows that this is why we’re here, to make sure in the future there will be survivors to celebrate,” said Schnall. “It’s a very happy way to start off the day.”
Following the Survivor’s Lap is the Caregiver Lap, which is meant to show support and gratitude to all of those who help give care to those who are diagnosed with cancer.
“This is done to show fighting cancer is not just a one-person thing. It’s cancer; it can affect a lot of people, but working together and supporting each other is really important,” said Schnall.
Survivors will then be invited to attend a brunch at the relay event.
Interested survivors can register for the event at relayforlife.org/fayettevillemanliusny. Schnall said survivors are not expected to raise money or donate, but rather are asked just to attend to celebrate the people who have been successful in fighting cancer. By registering as a survivor, these people will get a special Relay shift that identifies them as one, said Schnall.
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.
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.
There is still time to donate to the cause or sign up. For more information to find out how to get involved, visit relayforlife.org/fayettevillemanliusny.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
