Popular Relay For Life walk-athon returns to Agoura this weekend

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BANDING TOGETHER- Participants in the 2007 Agoura Relay for Life lift a banner commemorating the event.

On Sat., May 3 at 10 a.m. more than a thousand people dedicated to the fight against cancer will gather at Willow Elementary School in Agoura Hills for the annual Relay For Relay walk-athon.

Teams will include coworkers, family members, loved ones and friends who have made a commitment to walk around the school track for 24 hours in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

This year's motto is "Celebrate, remember and fight back." A survivors and caregivers lap will kick off the weekend activities.

Those who have battled the disease are invited to enjoy the new Relay Survivor Lounge decked out with purple couches and chairs. Children will also have a place of their own on the track. A kids' camp will keep children of all ages occupied with activities, crafts, art, games, scavenger hunts and more.At 8 p.m. Saturday the kids' camp will host a pajama party.

This year a special booth is being set up which will allow participants to donate hair to make wigs for cancer patients.

Relay sponsors will provide food throughout the event, including a variety of organic healthy dishes such as hummus and hot lentil soup.

At the Relay Fight Back Booth, banners will be on display with pledges from participants who are committed to taking charge of their own health and well being.

At 9 p.m. Saturday the community will take part in a luminaria, or candle lighting ceremony, to remember loved ones that have been touched by cancer. For details on the luminaria, visit www.events. cancer.org/ flagouraca. Later in the evening, the younger Relay participants will dance the night away at "Club Cure." The Willow multipurpose room will be transformed into a jamming nightclub with a live band and D.J., neon art, and disco balls. The band Waiting for Wyatt will start off the night of music and dancing.

Funds raised at Relay For Life will enable the American Cancer Society to support local services and resources for cancer patients and their families. Funds also support cancer research and community education programs designed to teach people how to reduce their risk of developing cancer.

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

To locate other Relay For Life events and find out how to get involved, call (800) ACS-2345, or visit www.cancer.org.