June 18, 2008 — Some 1,300 people will take to the field at Charlotte Amalie High School this weekend in St. Thomas' seventh annual Relay For Life, a 24-hour fund raiser to help fight cancer.
Eighty-six teams, with a minimum of 15 members each, will congregate at the school's track at noon Saturday. They will begin walking laps at 4 p.m. and continue until noon Sunday. Each team member will walk at least a one-hour shift while musicians and entertainers work to keep folks awake and enlivened through the wee hours of the night.
The track will be lined with luminaries, or paper bags with candles inside, each purchased for $5 and representing someone with cancer or who has battled the disease. At 9 p.m. Saturday a special lap is taken by cancer survivors, who walk the track while all field lights — except that from the candles — have been extinguished.
This year's goal is $250,000, compared to last year's earnings of $200,000, according to Diana Parker, who is a participant and organizer of the event. Parker, along with dozens of others, will wear a yellow T-shirt signifying a personal bout with the disease.
"I think it's somewhat emotional, especially the luminary ceremony, because I've known so many survivors … and some who have died," Parker said. The money raised will go to provide educational and screening services to the community, patient medication, off-island travel and patient special needs. The theme for this year's relay is "Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back," and the poster child this year is seven-year-old Miguel Bougeneau, a first grader at Calvary Christian Academy who has leukemia.
The public is invited to attend, and entry is $10. Only registered participants can walk the track, but the public can enjoy the infield activities, which include live entertainment, karaoke, face painting, board games, a fashion show, a scavenger hunt and volleyball.
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