Relay Rally Held at Berkshire MallBy Melanie Rancourt
Special to iBerkshires
02:14PM / Monday, December 08, 2008
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Celebrating 25 years of hope and some holiday cheer combined to make for what Relay for Life organizers say was a successful day at the Berkshire Mall on Saturday.
Members from the Central/South and Northern Berkshire Relay for Life planning committees organized an informational table and Relay store near the food court in the hopes of spreading the word about cancer prevention, forming event teams, and recruiting survivors, while selling Relay merchandise to holiday shoppers.
"Everyone has been touched by cancer one way or another," said Laura Baran, community executive of income development for the Berkshire County area. "We are here today to get the word out to those community members who may not know what Relay for Life is all about."
Photo by Melanie Rancourt
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Among the items sold were children's toys, Relay shirts, jackets, baseball caps and other novelty items. Luminaria bags were also available to purchase and decorate in honor of loved ones who have lost their battle to cancer.
Madison Benlien, 8, one of day's first customers, bought and created a luminaria bag that reads "Cancer Does Stink" as part of a class project called "A Day of Giving."
Each student in Teresa Bills' third-grade class at Craneville Elementary School in Dalton was given $5 by their teacher to donate to a worthy cause this holiday season, and Benlien chose Relay for Life. The bag will be lit as part of the luminaria ceremony at the North Adams event next year.
The National Relay for Life Campaign is t themed "Celebrate, Remember, Fight back!" Community members are encouraged to celebrate cancer survivors, to remember those loved ones who they have lost, and to fight back against the deadly disease.
According to Baran, the three Berkshire County events last year raised a half-million dollars.
Upcoming 2009 Relay For Life events
- The first Relay of 2009 is the Williams College event, which will take place on Thursday, Jan. 17, at Towne Field House on the college campus in Williamstown.
- Kick off for the Northern Berkshire Relay will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. at Bounti-Fare Restaurant in Adams. The event itself will take place on May 29 and 30 at Noel Field in North Adams.
- Kick off for the Berkshire County Central/South Relay will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at Itam Lodge in Pittsfield. The event itself will take place June 19 and 20 at Burbank Park on Onota Lake in Pittsfield.
For more information, contact Baran at 413-664-4202.
Melanie Rancourt and her family have been actively involved with Relay for Life for a number of years.
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