Elwood and Northport Get Ready for Relays

With little more than 24 hours to go, nearly 2000 volunteers in Elwood and
Northport are getting ready to walk the night away and raise money for a good cause at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life events this weekend.

The night will begin with a survivors reception at 5:00 pm at John Glenn and Northport High Schools.  Jaime Pacheco, the ACS staff member who is coordinating the Elwood Relay with Co-Chairs Kris Kalinowski, Marisa Paraszczuk, Scott Mikelbank, Christina Kerensky-DeSimeone and Janet Giaccio, said 549 people had registered as of Thursday afternoon, with $48,541 raised in online donations.

Assemblyman Steve Stern will be on hand for the opening ceremony at 6:00 pm.  A number of activities are scheduled throughout the Elwood Relay,  including performances by the Elwood-John Glenn Cheerleaders, Jazz Band and Chamber Choir, and members of the From Stage to Screen Performing Arts Academy.

The popular and moving Luminaria ceremonies take place at 9:00 pm, in which attendees are invited to light white luminaria bags personalized with names, drawings, photos, and messages in memory or honor of a friend or loved one who has been affected by cancer. 

Team Pride Laps and Theme Laps will take place from 11:30 to 3:00 am, followed by quiet time for those hardy souls still on the track. Closing ceremonies take place at 6 am.

This is the first time Pacheco, who has been coordinating Relays for seven years, will be involved with the Elwood event, now in it's third year. She said she's been impressed by the number of young people in the community who have dedicated their time and passion to making the night a success.  "They work really hard."

The same can certainly be said of Pacheko herself, who wil be shuttling between Elwood and a Relay event in Southhold.  So where does she plan to spend the night? "Elwood."

ACS Director of Special Events Dawn Tropeano and Northport High School Faculty Adviser David Storch are readying the Northport Relay troops -- all 1300-plus as of Wednesday evening.  So far 141 teams have raised more than $196,000, bringing the combined total for the four-year event to approximately $700,000. 

Participants can look forward to a performance by the Northport Pipe and Drum Band and the Northport High School Tights and Ties.  Face painting, aerobics, midnight hula hoop and frozen tee shirt contests and crazy hat laps are also planned.

One special event will be a tribute at 10 pm for Dr. Gordy Klatt who founded Relay for Life in 1985.  Back then, Klatt decided to raise money for his local American Cancer Society office by doing what he loved: running marathons. He spent a grueling 24 hours circling a track in Tacoma, Washington, covering more than 83 miles and raising $27,000 from friends who paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with him throughout the night.

One year later, 19 teams took to that track in Tacoma and raised $33,000. Today, Klatt, who was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer, has seen his vision grow to 5,200 Relay events taking place annually in the U.S., raising more than $4.5 billion to date to save lives.

"I'm so proud to be a part of such an amazing event and such an amazing community," Tropeano said. "They inspire me."

Such inspiration often leads others to start their own Relay events. Tropeano, a 10 year cancer survivor herself, said that Northport's Relay was started four years ago by a group of high school students who had participated in a Lindenhurst Relay. This year Tropeano helped Commack host its first Relay for Life on May 12 -- which in turn was inspired by people who had walked in Northport's Relay. The raised over $125,000. "For a first year event, that's amazing."

Anyone wishing to participate in either of this weekend's events can still register for $20 on Saturday at 4:00 pm. They will receive a t-shirt while supplies last but will not be allowed to camp overnight. Gates close at 11:00 pm. Both events will also feature plenty of raffle baskets donated by local merchants and families, and individual fundraising opportunities like Bead Per Lap, in which walkers purchase a necklace with a starter bead for a small donation, then add a bead for each lap that they cover.