Great Barrington — This year’s Relay for Life event will be held inside the Monument Mountain High School gymnasium on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Relay for Life is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, a nationwide nonprofit organization 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, the event was held outside at Monument Mountain’s track. However, four hours into the event, a microburst storm hit the track, destroying the event area.
This year, Ray Gardino, the primary organizer of the event, told The Berkshire Edge that organizers are not taking any chances and will hold the event indoors. “Whether we have it outside or inside, we’re here again to raise money for the American Cancer Society,” Gardino said. “Cancer affects everybody. If it isn’t you, consider yourself lucky. For me, my wife is an 18-year survivor of thyroid cancer. My daughter, who is 36 years old, just got diagnosed with lung cancer. She is a non-smoker, but she had 55 percent of her lung removed. They got the tumor, and hopefully, the cancer did not spread. This is why we will continue to do what we do.”
The theme for this year’s event is “Decades of Hope” and will include music from the 1950s onward.
“We are looking for people to come out, celebrate, and fight back,” Gardino added.
For more information about the event, visit the event’s website.
