Relay for Life of Folsom

Every year since 1985, The American Cancer Society has put together an event known as Relay for Life.

On Saturday, May 17th, the tradition continued. What exactly is Relay for Life? It is a 24 hour fight against cancer, in which individual teams come together in an effort to raise as much money as possible for the cause. For Folsom in particular, there were 55 teams and 473 participants working toward a common goal.

This year, Vista del Lago’s student senate made it a project to get the high school involved. Thus, the following teams were created to represent Vista by grade level: Vista Freshman Fighters (team captain Emily Wood), Vista Sophomores (team captain Jenna Parks) , Vista Juniors (team captain Sierra Jaeger) and Vista del Lago Seniors (team captain Natalia Maverakis).

The event always begins with a lap in honor of cancer survivors and then participants take turns walking around the track for the next 24 hours. The idea is to have at least one member from each team on the track at all times, because cancer never sleeps. At night, the luminaries are lit and a slide show ceremony in support for those who have had cancer is shown. This is then followed by a lap of silence around the track, concluding the festivities for the night.

In total, Relay for Life of Folsom at Sutter Middle School raised $73,231.12, and this is not the end of fundraising. The American Cancer Society will continue to accept donations until August, for those who wish to contribute by making conditions.
For more information regarding future Relay for Life events or how to get involved, visit: www.relayforlife.org