Some of the many participants in the annual Relay for Life event held at Monument Mountain Regional High School on Saturday, June 28. Photos by Shaw Israel Izikson.
Great Barrington — The annual Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, took place at Monument Mountain Regional High School on Saturday, June 28.
The American Cancer Society, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1913 with the mission of eliminating cancer. The organization offers services and support to people dealing with cancer and their families and also conducts cancer research. According to the organization’s website, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer within their lifetime.
Last year, Relay for Life was held outside at Monument Mountain’s track; however, after a microburst storm hit the track last year and destroyed the event area, this year’s event was moved indoors.
Teams set up their booths inside the school’s gymnasium, which served as the event area. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.The relay itself took place in the hallways surrounding the gymnasium. Pictured are some of the cancer survivors and their caretakers taking part in the “survivors lap” at the beginning of the event. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.While there was no exact estimate of how many people took part in this year’s event, organizer Ray Gardino said that there were hundreds of participants from throughout Berkshire County, including cancer survivors. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
The theme of the event was “Decades of Hope,” and the relay itself was dedicated to longtime participant Laurie Beckwith, who died last October. Beckwith was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in May 2020. She was previously a member of the team Lin’s Lapsters in 2009 and was then the captain of the Beckwith Strong team in 2013 after her brother died from cancer. This year, Beckwith’s daughter Abby Rossi carried the “Torch of Hope” around the relay course at the beginning of the event.
Abby Rossi, a member of the team “Beckwith Strong,” who carried the “Torch of Hope” at the beginning of the event. Rossi is the daughter of Laurie Beckwith, a longtime Relay for Life participant who died in October 2024 from multiple myeloma. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Beckwith Strong team (from left): Camille Beckwith, Abby Rossi, Amanda Seile, and Jeremy Beckwith. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
“She received a lot of support and guidance from the people within the relay community,” Rossi told The Berkshire Edge. “This is a great event and, over the years, a community has been built through it.”
Ray Gardino, the lead chair of the event, told The Berkshire Edge that this year’s relay raised over $65,000.
Berkshire County Relay for Life Lead Chair Ray Gardino. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Berkshire Be-Witches team. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Two of the members of the Berkshire Be-witches team, Cass Maroney of Pittsfield and Katherine Stocks of Dalton, are cancer survivors. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Alton’s Walkers team. The team was named in memory of Alton Heath of Tyringham who died of colon cancer in 1996. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the One Big Family team. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Street Fighters team: Jason Street and his daughter Delaney Street. “I lost my father six years ago in October to cancer, and I decided to join the relay because it was time for me to do something and get involved,” Jason Street said. “The relay teams all make up a great community, and together they are all like a family.” Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Guardians of the Relay team: Owen Letalien, Melissa Letalien, and Aeyanna Perry. Melissa Letalien is a member of the event’s leadership team. She said that she takes part in the relay in memory of her mother, Patricia Wojcik, who died in February. “My mother was an eight-year cancer survivor,” Melissa Letalien said. “We are doing these relays to go towards the cause of giving cancer survivors more birthdays.” Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Members of the Fearless Warriors team: Julie Storti, Diane Warner, Judy Moro, Dora Coppa. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.Some of the luminaries that lined the hallways of the school. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.The luminaries had the names of family members and friends who died of cancer. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.The luminaries lined the hallways of Monument Mountain High School. Photo by Shaw Israel Izikson.
For more information about The American Cancer Society go to its website.
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