After months of fund-raising by nearly 50 teams, the Fifth Annual Relay For Life of Falls Church will get under on Saturday June 4 on the football field at George Mason High School.
Already this year’s Relay has raised close to $50,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s battle against the disease. Weather permitting, the event will run from 3 p.m., when teams can begin setting up their campsites, to the final lap and closing ceremony at 6 a.m. Sunday June 5. At 5 p.m. Saturday, cancer survivors and their caregivers are invited to a special reception in their honor in the Cafetorium at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. The Relay will follow, beginning at 6 p.m. with the Opening Ceremony and Survivor’s Lap. At 9:30 p.m., the stadium will be darkened for the traditional Luminaria Ceremony when candles are lit around the track in memory of persons who have died from cancer or in honor of persons who have survived cancer. Games and contests will provide fun for registered participants as they seek to keep a member of their team continually walking the track throughout the evening.
The Relay For Life of Falls Church, now in its fifth year, is one of 5,000 similar events across the nation. This year, retiring Falls Church School Supt. Lois Berlin and Ellen Salsbury are serving as honorary co-chairs of the event.
