This year to the two events will be combined to create an even bigger Relay event at Cherokee High School.
The Relay for Life of Marlton is ready to welcome some new friends from neighboring towns this year, with plans to raise more money than ever before.
This year, the event that was previously organized as the Relay for Life of Medford-Mt. Laurel will be combined into Marlton’s Relay at Cherokee High School to hopefully create the Marlton Relay’s biggest event ever.
Marlton’s Relay will raise money for the American Cancer Society and its mission to research a cure for cancer and provide assistance to those battling the disease.
Relay for Life events take place around the world each year and allow cancer survivors, caregivers, friends, family and supporters to join together for a day of fun and fundraising.
Similar to other Relay events, the Relay for Life of Marlton asks participants to form teams and walk the track at Cherokee High School as if they were in a relay race to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer and the teamwork needed to battle the disease.
The event also features games, music, dancing, food and other entertainment as those gathered celebrate survivors and remember those who lost their lives to cancer.
Al Lutner, who helps organize the Marlton Relay for Life, is inviting past participants and new supporters to consider joining this year’s event on June 2.
Lutner spoke about the event at a recent Evesham Township Council meeting to promote it.
“It’s a lot of fun, but the most important thing is we raise a lot of money to fight cancer,” Lutner said.
In addition to being joined by teams from other towns, this year is also a milestone for the Relay for Life of Marlton, as the 2018 event will mark Marlton Relay’s 10th year of operation.
According to Lutner, last year’s event raised $137,000, which he said brought the Marlton Relay’s lifetime total of money raised to more than $700,000.
Lutner said organizers have set this year’s fundraising goal at $218,000, which would allow the Marlton Relay to surpass a lifetime total of $1 million.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re raising $250,000,” Lutner said.
Lutner also described the event’s traditional opening ceremony, where cancer survivors are asked to walk the first lap around the track while being surrounded by the event’s other cheering participants.
Survivors are then treated to a luncheon buffet inside the school cafeteria, after which they can rejoin the event or head home if they don’t have the strength to stay for the entire 12-hour event.
Last year Lutner said the event had 175 cancer survivors, but organizers are always looking for more.
“If you know a survivor, please contact us,” Lutner said. “We’d like to have 300 survivors if we can. It’s the more the better, because that means that people are surviving cancer.
The Relay for Life of Marlton is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, from noon to midnight at Cherokee High School.
All those who attended past years Relay for Life events previously held in Medford and Mt. Laurel are welcome to attend the Relay for Life of Marlton.
For more information about the Relay for Life of Marlton or to register for the event, visit www.relayforlife.org/marltonnj.
“You can do whatever you want on that site,” Lutner said. “You can join a team, you can start a team, you can donate or you can volunteer.”
The Relay for Life of Marlton also operates a page on Facebook at facebook.com/RFLMarlton where those interested can learn about upcoming fundraising opportunities and organizational meetings for the Marlton Relay up until the event itself on June 2.
