Residents came out to help in the battle against cancer Saturday night, participating in Relay For Life of Kona.
Residents came out to help in the battle against cancer Saturday night, participating in Relay For Life of Kona.
During the event, which started at 6 p.m., teams walked a course, camped out and honored cancer survivors and patients during life-affirming activities, including a luminaria ceremony, cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ laps around the course and a closing ceremony. The event, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, ended at 6 a.m. today.
The money raised by volunteers at the event funds cancer research and programs such as Road to Recovery, Look Good … Feel Better and Reach to Recovery.
Relay For Life began in May 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Wash., raising $27,000 to help fight cancer. Since those first steps, the Relay For Life movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, raising almost $5 billion to fight cancer, according to the American Cancer Society website.