Hundreds to ‘Relay for Life’ at South River High This Friday

American Cancer Society photo.

On Friday evening, hundreds of adults and children will gather at the JV track at South River High School where they will participate in 2012 Southern Anne Arundel County Relay for Life.

Relay for Life is an overnight event where teams of individuals camp out and take turns walking around the track throughout the evening and into the early morning hours Saturday to honor cancer survivors; remember those lost to the disease; and raise funds and awareness to help save lives.

The Southern Anne Arundel County Relay for Life has 216 participants and 29 teams registered. A combined $58,585 has been raised by to date by these individuals.

Several  area elementary schools have teams participating in the event including Lothian (Band of Hope); Davidsonville (Chomping Out Cancer); Mayo (Mallards March for a Cure); Edgewater (Soar for a Cure); and Central Elementary (Wild About a Cure).

Registration starts at 2 p.m. with the survivor reception at 4 p.m. The opening ceremony runs from 6 to 7 p.m. with the South River High School chorus singing the national anthem. Introductions follow along with the invocation and a survivor speech by Kathryn Smith. The survivor and caretaker laps follow shortly thereafter.

The event will again take place in the parking lot and lacrosse field as opposed to the football stadium because the turf field and track can not be used for events outside of sports.

Activities continue throughout the evening ending with a final lap at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. Here is the official schedule as listed on the Relay for Life site:

• 7 to 7:30 p.m. – Locks of Love; Carraway (Band)
• 7:30 to 8 p.m. – Shelton Martial Arts; Connect 4 Tournament
• 8 to 9 p.m. – Munkfish (Band)
• 9 to 9:30 p.m. Luminaria Ceremony
• 9:30 to 10:15 p.m. – Silver City (Band)
• 10:15 to 11 p.m. – Whoa Man Contest
• 11:00 to 12:00 a.m. – Sour Notes (Band); Dodgeball Tournament
• 12 a.m. – Midnight Pizza
• 12:30 a.m. – Team Challenge #1
• 1 a.m. – Team Challenge #2
• 1:30 a.m. – Team Challenge #3
• 2 a.m. – Team Challenge #4
• 2:30 a.m. – Team Challenge #5
• 3 a.m. – Team Challenge #6
• 3:30 a.m. – Poker Laps
• 4 a.m. Closing Ceremony
• 4:30 a.m. – Raffle Ticket Laps
• 5 a.m. – Sunrise Service
• 5:30 a.m. – Diner Delight Laps and Final Lap
• 6 a.m. – Clean Up

The American Cancer Society reports that each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States gather to take part in Relay for Life events and to help raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer.

To donate or become a team member for the Southern Anne Arundel County Relay for Life visit them online.