Centre View

On the surface, walking around a track over and over may not seem too productive. But when done during the Relay for Life, it can make a world of difference to people battling cancer.

That’s because the event raises money toward the American Cancer Society’s mission to save lives by helping people stay well, get well and fight cancer, while researchers seek a cure. And this year’s Relay For Life of Chantilly-Centreville will be held Saturday, June 11, at Westfield High, beginning at 3 p.m. and continuing until the next day around 6 a.m.

“Everybody’s been touched by somebody they know who has cancer or who’s lost the battle,” said Greenbriar resident Tiffany Marquess. “My dad passed in 2011 from cancer; and the week I emailed people about forming a team for the Relay, one of my friends was diagnosed with cancer. But she’s on the team.”

Marquess is captain of the 18-member, No Mo Chemo team. It’ll be her first time participating in this event and she’s almost reached her $3,000 fundraising goal.

“My dad participated in a Relay For Life, 15 years ago, and I did the Avon [breast cancer] walk a couple years ago and liked the meaning behind it,” she said. “I think the whole bonding during this event and getting to know people will be a special experience. And you could walk away with a friend for life you didn’t know you were going to have.”

The event is open to the public, and a there’ll be food, games, activities, souvenir sales, a raffle and entertainment. At 1 p.m. is the survivors and caregivers luncheon, with food donated by Bonefish Grill and music by the Gunsmoke Band. Everyone else may purchase items from food trucks, Bacons BBQ, Hidden Jules, The Inside Scoop and Snowie, from 1-9 p.m. Also planned are line dancing, a performance by Chantilly High’s Hip-Hop Club, a deejay and music from the New Life Band.

During the 3 p.m. opening ceremony, Westfield head football coach Kyle Simmons will be the keynote speaker. “He’s a cancer survivor, himself, and will share his own experience,” said Little Rocky Run’s Marion Rantis, participating in her eighth Relay. “He’ll also thank the teams for raising money and contributing to the fight against cancer.”

The school’s drumline will perform and its choir will sing the National Anthem. Students from the Chantilly Academy’s AFJROTC will post the colors. “And one of the things we’re really excited about is that, when we had our kickoff in February, Westfield ASL [American Sign Language] teacher Brittany Burke came, and we developed a partnership,” said Mary Saunders, the event’s community manager. “So her class will be signing during the opening ceremony and will also sign to Rachel Platten’s ‘Fight Song’ during the event.”

Cancer survivors, those in remission and those still fighting, walk the first lap. Caregivers and those they cared for, walk the next lap. Then teams start walking, with as many members on the track as they want. The goal is for someone from each team to be walking at all times. And community members are encouraged to gather ’round the track and cheer them on.

Team members take turns walking as long and as far as they want. Then they can relax and socialize with their teammates and with other teams at their campsites. “Whoever’s walking carries a baton, and we have a contest for the best-decorated baton,” said Saunders. Not everyone has to spend the night. But participants who do will receive breakfast and be there for the closing ceremony.

The most dramatic and moving part of the Relay is the 9 p.m. luminaria ceremony. Paper bags with glowing candles are placed around the track. Each bag has the name of someone who’s had cancer, and the ceremony recognizes those who’ve died, are still fighting or have survived the disease.

“Participants may submit photos of their loved ones who have battled cancer,” said Rantis. “The photos are made into a slideshow that’s shown on a screen at the start of the luminaria ceremony. “Then everyone takes a candle and walks a lap in honor of the people named on the luminaria, those in the slideshow and everyone who has suffered with cancer.”

This year’s Relay is this area’s ninth annual, with some 26 teams taking part, including teams from Westfield and Centreville high schools. Oak Hill’s Cassie White, a Rachel Carson eighth-grader, and Megan Hyer, her friend and classmate, are the youngest team captains, helming the Cancer Crushers. Its 16 members include Cassie’s aunt and cousins, plus friends from school.

It’s Megan’s first Relay, but it’ll be Cassie’s seventh or eighth. “I’m a cancer survivor,” said Cassie. “I had ALL [acute lymphoblastic leukemia] when I was 11 months old, and I go back to Duke Children’s Hospital every other year to be checked out.”

“She was in the pediatric, bone-marrow-transplant unit there,” said her mom, Jeannette White of Oak Hill. “My husband and I thought we had a healthy, little girl; it was a horrible time. But Cassie received umbilical-cord blood from an unknown donor.”

This is Cassie’s first time organizing a Relay team. “I’d wanted to start a team for a long time because I know a lot of other people who’ve had cancer,” she said. “So I really wanted to help other people and help find a cure. I’m also looking forward to camping out; the entire team will sleep over. And I’m excited about all the fun activities like face-painting, games, bounce houses and walking around and collecting beads for every lap you do, to get a bracelet.”

Each lap is a quarter mile, so the beads help participants track how far they’ve gone. And, added Cassie, “The beads make me think about how many lives I’m saving.”

White’s participated eight years because of her daughter. “When Cassie was sick, we received money and information from different resources,” she said. “We later learned it came from the American Cancer Society. So the Relay For Life is a great way to raise awareness of the disease and the need to fund research and to let people know that every dollar raised goes toward that goal.”

“I love the survivor lap and the luminaria ceremony,” continued White. “They’re both emotional, and I always get choked up, walking around and seeing the names on the bags and remembering people who’ve died. It brings to reality why we’re doing this.”

Megan agreed to co-captain with Cassie because “it sounded fun and I wanted to help find a cure, too. One of my best friend’s grandfather just passed away from cancer. We’ve raised about $860 of our $3,000 goal and hope to raise more at the Relay from running games, a cotton-candy machine and possibly face-painting.”

Saunders, who also supports the volunteers, says this Relay’s volunteers are “awesome.” She’s walked in and organized Relays since 2001 and now works for the American Cancer Society. “At one Relay, a lady in a wheelchair was a team captain and a survivor, and her teammates pushed her around the track,” said Saunders. “We did this Relay at the nZone in Chantilly, the past four years, so we’re excited to be back outside again.”

Rantis is captain of the six-person, Team For Our Future, comprised of her family and Saunders. Rantis became involved with the Relay in 2009 to honor her mother on the 20-year anniversary of her death and stayed involved because “cancer still isn’t cured, so this is one thing I can do toward that goal.”

People may participate at any level, walking quickly or slowly or even running. At one Relay, recalled Rantis, “A 74-year-old woman walked just 100 yards with her son, but she wanted to do what she could. One of the symbolic things about walking all night — assuming it’s not raining and you make it ’til morning — is that you’ve struggled to stay awake and walk. But then you see the sun rise and you’re like, ‘Wow, I did it — I made it through the night,’ and that’s really gratifying. And it’s an analogy to surviving cancer — coming through dark times into the light.”

For more information or to donate, go to www.relayforlife.org/ChantillyVA or contact Saunders at mary.saunders@cancer.org.

Relay Food and Activities Schedule

1 p.m. - Survivors & Caregivers Luncheon

Lunch donated by Bonefish Grill

Gunsmoke Band to perform acoustically during lunch

Decorations by Girl Scout troop 3194

1-9 p.m. (approx.) - Food Trucks on site

Bacons BBQ

Hidden Jules

The Inside Scoop

Snowie

3 p.m. - Opening Ceremony

Keynote Speaker, Kyle Simmons, Westfield HS Head Football Coach

Kickoff by Westfield drumline

National Anthem by Westfield Choral and American Sign Language students

Posting of the Colors by Chantilly Academy AFJROTC students

Entertainment

Deejay Gene Griffin

Line Dance 4 U to perform 30 minutes of Country Line Dancing at 4 p.m.

Westfield ASL Club does a signed performance to “Fight Song.”

Chantilly HS Hip Hop Club

New Life Band

Games

Cornhole

Kerplunk

Yard Yahtzee

Twister

Midnight - Pizza

4:30 a.m. - Bagel Breakfast

6 a.m. - Closing Ceremony