This year’s McKean County Relay for Life will be fun and games –– literally.
The annual American Cancer Society event will be held from 4 p.m. June 23 to 4 p.m. June 24 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and the theme will be games.
At the event, the Bradford Regional Medical Center team will showcase the game “Operation.” There’ll also be chess and “Pie Face,” among others.
A total of 16 teams will take part in the Relay for Life, ranging from five to 20 people, and team members are on a mission to raise $63,000 for cancer research and programs in McKean County such as Look Good, Feel Better; Reach to Recovery; and Road to Recovery.
“We’ve had great, great response with our sponsorships this year,” said Stacy Williams, who is the leader this year and part of the Bradford Regional Medical Center team.
The event will also showcase several games, including water and soda pong, similar to beer pong played on college campuses.
The luminaria ceremony is set for 8 p.m. June 23, something that Williams calls breathtaking. Luminaria are bags with names, and there is an illuminated candle inside. The bags are in honor of those who have battled or are fighting cancer.
At 9 p.m., there will be a Ms. Relay contest, where men dress up as a woman.
Later that night, at 11, organizers will host a glow stick volleyball, and at 2 a.m., there will be a glow-in-the-dark lap.
The next day, at 10 a.m., a Hungry Hippo game will be played. There will also be “Fleshing Out Cancer,” where participants will toss toilet paper at a toilet seat.
At noon, cancer survivors will take a lap at the Relay for Life.
The event will also include princes and princesses from different teams, who will go around raising money. The ones who bring in the most amount of the money will be crowned, Williams said.
The local Kids and Cancer Benefit Motorcycle Run committee will also be at the Relay for Life, bringing cancer survivors in on motorcycles. Also at the event, the committee will be raffling off chances for a motorcycle.
Williams expressed appreciation to team leaders, saying they have done an excellent job putting the event together.
“I see the teams forming bonds and becoming more like a family. Everyone works well together,” she said.
Food will be available at the Relay for Life, including a breakfast June 24.
Relay for Life dates back to 1985, when Dr. Gordan Klatt ran and walked around a track alone at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. He raised $27,000 in the battle against cancer and ran 83 miles.
“I would like to encourage the community to come out,” she said.
Teams can sign up or individuals can donate at www.relayforlife.org/pamckeancounty.
