Philanthropy, Tributes and a United Community: What to Expect at This Year’s Relay for Life

On July 16, Cupertino will kick off its fifth-annual Relay for Life at the Track. The event, a 24-hour walk-a-thon, brings together teams of cancer survivors, their families and community members, all working as a whole to raise money for the American Cancer Society, a society dedicated to cancer prevention and research.

Teams from all walks of life will spend a 24-hour period walking around the De Anza track, honoring both survivors of cancer and those who have been lost to the disease. With this year’s event expected to bring in 350-500 participants, Relay for Life is certainly an event for the whole community. Whether you choose to participate or simply drop by, here’s what to expect at this year’s event:

Tributes: In accordance with tradition, Relay of Life starts the 24-hour period with its “Survivor Lap,” done by those who have survived cancer in order to celebrate their triumph over the disease. After the first lap, the teams do one lap all together around the field, and then the relay portion of the event begins, with one member of each team on the track at all times.

The first portion of the day is dedicated to celebrating those who have survived, but at dusk, event-goers honor those who have been lost to cancer during the event’s traditional Luminaria Walk. Luminarias, paper bags with tea candles inside and hand-decorated to honor cancer victims, are lit and placed around the track at dusk, serving as the track’s only source of light throughout the remainder of the night. If you cannot make it to this year’s relay but still wish to have a Luminaria for a loved one placed around the track, click here.

Live Entertainment: This year’s relay will feature an array of live entertainment, kicking off at 10 a.m. with the 50-piece South Bay Band, and will continue with a variety of smaller acts. There will be four more live bands performing throughout the day, as well as entertainment including bingo, salsa and even a team of pageant contestants performing their signature talents for the event-goers.

Hospitality: In order to accommodate as many relay attendees as possible, the event strives to make both participants and attendees have a comfortable, hospitable experience. There is ample room on the De Anza field for participants to set up tents and seating areas for the night, and the Cypress Hotel provides both a catered lunch and a well-furnished seating area for the event’s cancer survivors. For tired relay-goers, there is free coffee throughout the day, as well as pizza, which is served at midnight. Those who wish to keep their children entertained can also make use of the event’s movie tent and children’s entertainment center.

Opportunities to Donate: While teams who wish to participate in the event must raise a certain amount of money prior to the relay, the event itself offers myriad opportunities for both participants and bystanders to contribute to the cause. Teams are allowed to get as creative as they want in order to raise money. During last year’s Relay, one team of breast cancer survivors who dubbed themselves “Breast Friends” decorated bras and offered relay-goers a chance to walk a lap wearing one of their creations, after paying a small fee. Those who wish to donate in a more conventional manner can still donate to a team online, attend the event’s remaining fundraisers or make donations at the event itself.

For more information, including how to get more involved, visit relayforlife.org/cupertinoca.