WEST ORANGE, NJ — The buildup to the Relay for Life, the annual American Cancer Society fundraiser in which teams raise money and awareness for cancer treatment by walking around a track all night, officially started in West Orange for the 10th year with a kickoff ceremony in the Codey Arena on Jan. 26.
Approximately two dozen attendees gathered to register and learn more about the event before it takes place at West Orange High School on Friday, May 19. They were also urged to each raise at least $100 through fundraising efforts, a benchmark many participants have already reached. In fact, according to the West Orange Relay website, $4,854 has been raised as of press time Jan. 31. A total of 130 individuals have signed up to participate thus far.
Event leader Alex Baron hopes even more people will join during the coming weeks, knowing how beneficial it is for those involved. Baron recalled that he was very scared when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer as a 15-year-old, but attending his first Relay for Life and seeing the community that supported him filled him with hope. That experience inspired him to give back to the ACS in the years that followed his remission, and he thinks others will feel similarly if they attend the 2017 event.
“It’s an incredible way to show your community that you care about the fight against cancer,” Baron told the West Orange Chronicle prior to the event. “And it’s the most fun you can have fighting cancer.”
The annual Relay indeed plays a large role in the global battle against cancer. Deemed the largest fundraiser in history, the initiative has raised more than $5 billion for the ACS since its first event in 1986, with $1.4 million coming from West Orange alone. That money benefits the organization’s longstanding commitment to funding cancer research, with the organization investing more than $4.3 billion since 1946 and funding nearly $3.4 million in New Jersey cancer research grants currently. It also funds the many ACS programs helping cancer patients, such as the initiatives that provided more than 1,200 nights of free and reduced-cost lodging to New Jersey cancer patients, and more than 2,700 rides so that cancer sufferers in the state can get transportation to their treatments.
Baron additionally touted the society’s National Cancer Information Center as an excellent resource since it provides access to cancer information specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thus, anyone afflicted with the disease, or caring for someone who is, can receive answers to questions about everything from treatment options to patient services to emotional support.
“They don’t even have to know what they need — they can call the American Cancer Society any time, and (someone) will be there to pick up the phone,” Baron said.
Even with these successes and resources, the ACS still faces an uphill battle. According to the society’s statistics, approximately 1,688,780 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2017 — including 51,680 in New Jersey — and roughly 600,920 Americans are expected to die of the disease this year. Still, the ACS is making significant progress. Thanks in part to breakthroughs brought about by ACS-funded research, the cancer death rate declined by 25 percent between 1991 and 2014, meaning there were more than 2.1 million fewer deaths.
That is good news to Lisa Renwick, whose mission to end cancer in her children’s lifetime drove her during the years she led the West Orange Relay for Life. And though she decided to step down from the leadership position, Renwick is just as enthused about participating in the event this year. She told the Chronicle she is sure she will be fundraising for a team as always.
But Renwick is also excited to share her knowledge of running the event with its new leadership. After all, she said, the Relay’s continued success depends on getting new blood involved.
“As people graduate or as people leave town, we need to constantly be getting new faces,” Renwick said before the event. “When you get new faces, you get new ideas. And you grow and you’re able to continue the mission.”
CC Minton is one of the new faces involved with the West Orange Relay this year. Minton, who served as chairwoman for the kickoff meeting, told the Chronicle she joined the initiative because she thought it would be a great way to give back to her community. The cause also hits close to home for her, as she lost her grandmother to cervical cancer and her cousin to brain cancer.
Nevertheless, Minton pointed out that everyone should become involved in raising money for the ACS as one never knows who will need to benefit from its research in the future.
“So many people are impacted by cancer — family, friends,” Minton said after the event. “You could be impacted at one day in time. You really don’t know.”
Rani Soto certainly knows the devastating effect cancer can have. The Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor said treatment was tough, but going into “fight mode” with the support of his family and friends helped him get through it. It was actually after he went into remission that the mental strain of his ordeal hit him, with Soto recalling he lived in constant worry that the cancer would return.
“For (cancer survivors), tomorrow’s not certain,” Soto told the Chronicle following the event. “The fight really starts when it’s over.”
Soto said being around people who have been through the same experiences helps a lot, which is why participating in Relay for Life is mentally healing for him. Plus, he appreciates the fact that the initiative celebrates those who care or have cared for people with cancer since caregivers are so often overlooked despite going through a trauma themselves.
Abby Rosu, captain of the West Orange High School Mountaineer Squadron team for the second year, said she enjoys participating in the Relay for Life because it is an opportunity to meet good people while raising money for an exceptional cause. While she did not know what to expect last year, Rosu said she is really looking forward to the event this year.
Rosu already has fundraising methods in mind, too. She said her team has held bake sales and bagged groceries at ShopRite to earn donations. The team also plans to ask local businesses for contributions, she said. So far it has collected $546 for its efforts.
Other teams in attendance at the kickoff have also started fundraising or have ideas about how to do so. Minton, for instance, said she plans to contact businesses for donations, much like the Mountaineer Squadron. Soto said he wants to sell food during the Relay event. Baron — who is currently the top individual fundraiser with $2,124 collected so far — said he is asking family and friends for donations. His team also wrapped presents at the Livingston Mall around the holidays in order to collect donations.
ACS community manager Kara Mendez said the society has found handwritten letters asking for donations to be the most effective means of raising money. Mendez also recommended that those asking for donations share their stories as to why Relay is important to them. Doing so will enable people to connect with their stories and make them more willing to donate, she said.
Mendez knows what she is talking about, having participated in Relays since she was 17. She also knows exactly how powerful the event can be. Not only does it bring communities together, she said, it also provides a sense belonging. And that is something everyone should experience, she said.
“There’s a community of people around you — and it doesn’t matter if they’ve never met you before — holding your hand, giving you tissues, walking you around the track,” Mendez told the Chronicle after the meeting. “Everybody comes together for each other and for this mission. And that’s empowering.”
To learn more about the West Orange Relay for Life, visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY17EA?pg=entry&fr_id=79193. To learn more about the American Cancer Society and its programs, visit https://www.cancer.org/.
Photos by Sean Quinn
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