The River Towns Relay for Life event will take place on Saturday, June 3 at Delran High School with participants from areas surrounding Delran coming together.
One year after beating uterine cancer, Cinnaminson resident Tamara Bobrin started wondering what she could do to help others battling cancer. The experience had been an isolating one for Bobrin who felt as though she had insufficient resources at her disposal. In 2016, an email about Relay for Life caught her eye, and when she learned Relay for Life funds resources for those undergoing cancer treatment, she knew she had to get involved.
Bobrin is now on the event leadership team for the River Towns Relay for Life, which will take place on Saturday, June 3 from 4 p.m. to midnight at Delran High School. Susan Connelly, community manager at Relay for Life, said the River Towns event encompasses several towns with people from areas surrounding Delran coming together as a community united in their rally against cancer. Connelly said the River Town’s fundraising goal this year is $80,000.
Connelly said Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising activity in 27 countries and more than 5,000 communities. The relay is a fundraiser where participants create teams, and members take turns walking around a designated path to symbolize a cancer patient’s journey, with one member from each team walking the track at all times.
“In the months leading up to the event, participants fundraise to help us reach our goals to support the American Cancer Society’s patient programs and lifesaving research,” Connelly said.
Both Bobrin and Connelly described the day of a relay as a festival atmosphere, with participants walking the track, raffling off prizes and holding celebratory games. The opening ceremony is a celebration for all affected by cancer, but individual laps for survivors and caregivers will honor those who have battled cancer as well as the individuals who have cared for them.
Bobrin said people who are not walking can still come out and lend their sport by buying items for sale, entering a raffle or participating in an activity, with the funds from everything going to the American Cancer Society.
Palmyra resident Jeannie Klein learned about Relay for Life eight years ago after losing a friend to breast cancer. She said she was working two jobs at the time and had seen flyers at both advertising Relay for Life. The Delran event was 24 hours at the time, and after getting off work at 3 a.m., she decided to check it out. She said she was amazed to find a celebratory atmosphere going at the late hour, with bands performing, kids playing football and people walking the track.
“The theory is that cancer never sleeps, so neither do we,” Klein said. “We always have someone on the track to signify that.”
Completely taken aback by the experience, Klein signed up to participate the following year. This year, Klein’s team of one has raised her most money to date, almost $7,000. Klein said she sold baked goods at Palmyra Day, auctioned off gift baskets and held all-you-can-eat wing fundraisers over the course of the past several months.
Zulma Rodriguez, a Burlington Township resident and a nine-year participant in Relay, said her family initially joined Relay as a show of support in 2007 after her husband beat prostate cancer in 2007.
Since that time, however, other family members have been diagnosed with cancers ranging from breast to ovarian cancer. Rodriguez said the family continues to participate in Relay for Life because it encompasses everyone affected by cancer.
“Instead of doing all the different walks, we decided to do Relay for Life since it supports all cancers,” Rodriguez said.
At dusk on June 3, the football field at Delran High School will be illuminated by candlelight bags, each representing a family member or friend lost to cancer as well as honoring survivors. For a $10 donation, participants can decorate a bag to be displayed as a part of the Luminaria.
The Luminaria lighting ceremony is following by a silent lap, then participants continue to walk the track until midnight when the event wraps up with a closing ceremony, Connelly said.
Klein said she has lost friends and family to cancer, which has motivated her to work harder each year with her fundraising.
“I am determined to find a cure for this nonsense,” Klein said. “I don’t think anyone should have to suffer through [chemotherapy] and radiation.”
Jonathan Long, a resident of Voorhees who grew up in Burlington Township, has participated in the River Towns Relay for Life each year to honor his wife and parents who have been affected by cancer. He said his mother, a resident of Burlington Township until she passed, emphasized the importance of giving back.
“Unfortunately, everyone knows someone with cancer,” Long said. “Anything we can do to speed up the process of finding a cure, we should do.”
For more information about the River Towns Relay for Life or to sign up, visit www.RelayForLife.org/RiverTownsNJ
