VALRICO - For 18 bleary-eyed hours, people will walk or run for their cause. While the sun sets. Against the glow of a fading moon. Until the sun rises again and hangs high in the sky.
This is more than a fundraiser for the 650-plus participants expected at the Relay for Life at Bloomingdale High. The event starting tonight and ending midday Saturday offers a window into a world that those dollars aim to extinguish.
"It's an 18-hour event because cancer never sleeps, so neither do we," said Bethany Elliott, community representative for the American Cancer Society, which organizes the annual fundraiser.
About 70 teams signed up for Bloomingdale High's Relay for Life event, which begins at 6 p.m. today and continues until noon Saturday.
Organizers have asked each team to keep at least one representative on the track at all times.
Participants include teams from local elementary, middle and high schools, as well as religious groups, clubs for mothers in Bloomingdale and Brandon and some youth groups. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is sending 15 teams.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Cal Henderson, who was treated for prostate cancer several years ago, will kick off the relay today. Then at 9 p.m., small bags with votive candles will be placed along the track to recognize cancer survivors and patients. Closing ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. All events are open to the public.
The American Cancer Society has set a goal of raising $125,000 for cancer research, education, advocacy and local services at Bloomingdale High. So far, participants have pledged about $90,000.
A similar relay took place last month in the South Shore area. Participants raised about $38,000 at the event at East Bay High. The north Brandon Relay for Life will be at Armwood High on April 23 and 24.
