Residents came out to help in the battle against cancer Saturday night, participating in Relay For Life of Kona.
During the event, which started at 6 p.m., teams walked a course, camped out and honored cancer survivors and patients during life-affirming activities, including a luminaria ceremony, cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ laps around the course and a closing ceremony. The event, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, ended at 6 a.m. today.
The money raised by volunteers at the event funds cancer research and programs such as Road to Recovery, Look Good … Feel Better and Reach to Recovery.
Relay For Life began in May 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Wash., raising $27,000 to help fight cancer. Since those first steps, the Relay For Life movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, raising almost $5 billion to fight cancer, according to the American Cancer Society website.