Photo by Jim DeLillo - click to enlarge
It was a long night’s journey into day for the community at Indian Hills High School as they completed the 2010 Relay for Life. The closing ceremony, with a morning fog lifting over the weary participants, offered a recap of the spirit behind the American Cancer Society’s signature event: Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back.
Raising over $100,000, the participants at Indian Hills in Oakland, NJ had much to cheer about before taking their final lap around the track as a group. The sound of music echoed through the hills and side streets of sleeping Oakland and Franklin Lakes trumpeting a success long in the making, and evoking the spirit of celebrate, remember, fight back.
Relay for Life events around the globe incorporate three main moments. The Relay starts with a Survivors Lap – celebrating the victories achieved over cancer. Night brings the Luminaria Ceremony where candles are lit inside bags with each a reminder of a person touched by cancer. Third, there is the Fight Back Ceremony where participants make a personal commitment to save lives by taking up the fight against cancer.
Photo by Jim DeLillo - click to enlarge
The individual & team efforts on display at Indian Hills High School in Oakland reflect the effort which originated the Relay for Life event worldwide. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma, WA colorectal surgeon, wanted to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed – running marathons.
In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran more than 83 miles with nearly 300 friends, family, and patients watching as he ran and walked the course. Through the night, others joined in and donated $25 to run or walk with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes; they raised $27,000 that first night 25 years ago.
Below are videos of the closing ceremony and the final lap made as a group, early Saturday morning June 12, 2010.
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Additional photographs of Relay for Life, 2010 Oakland, NJ
Photo by Jim DeLillo
Photo by Jim DeLillo - click to enlarge
Photo by Jim DeLillo - click to enlarge
click to enlarge
click to enlarge