Relay for Life walks for the cure in Woodbridge
Teams painted Main St. purple, walked to raise funds for Cancer Society
BY JESSICA ALFREY
Correspondent

WOODBRIDGE - One in three. That is how many people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

In the hope to someday change these numbers, Relay for Life hosted one of its overnight fundraising events at Woodbridge High School on Friday.

The team event, where participants took turns walking the track, was held to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Prior to the event, the town hosted "Paint the Town Purple" on June 1.

Betsy Fennessey, 58, a breast cancer survivor and retired Woodbridge teacher, organized the "Paint the Town Purple" event. She said she wanted to do something to bring attention to the cause prior to the Relay for Life event, so she arranged for about 35 to 40 students and their chaperones to paint purple ribbons and Relay for Life symbols on many store windows, along with a purple stripe down Main Street. The event took place on June 1, National Cancer Survivor Day.

National Cancer Survivor Day is an event that has been celebrated for the past 20 years. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works with communities to offer support and education.

PHOTOSBYJEFF GRANIT staff Clockwise from top: Bruce Hautz receives a hug from Heidi Riley, of the American Cancer Society, as he makes his way around the track during the Relay for Life at the Woodbridge High School on July 15. Cancer survivor Debbie Caffarelli, of Port Reading, gives her niece Sarah Szoke, 12, also of Port Reading, a kiss and a hug. Bags with candles line the track in honor of those who lost their lives to cancer.

Fennessey, who spent much of her 32 years as a physical education teacher at Avenel Middle School, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and has been in remission for almost five years, though she has been involved with Relay for Life even longer.

"About seven years ago, I wanted to do something because a very close friend of mine had died from breast cancer," Fennessey said. "I was teaching at the time and I received a brochure about Relay for Life."

Fennessey supervised the Early Act Club at the time and got her team involved. Since then, the event has grown so large that it now takes place at Woodbridge High School and is an overnight event. Last year, Fennessey estimated that about 350 people participated, and that number was expected to increase to 500 this year.

Relay for Life originated in 1985 when a Tacoma, Wash., doctor, Gordy Klatt, decided to raise money for his local American Cancer Society by running a marathon; he raised $27,000. The following year, 19 teams raised $33,000 in the first team relay event. Now, Relay for Life takes place all over the country. Anyone is allowed to participate in the overnight event where teams keep one member of their group on the track at any given time. The center of the track is often referred to as '"tent city," where teams have set up their tents, canopies and lawn chairs.

Michelle Berniker King, director of special events for the American Cancer Society in Middlesex County, said that $88,000 had been raised prior to the event, which is up from the $61,000 overall raised last year. She said the hope is that by the end of the event, they will have broken the $100,000 mark. She said it is important to show people the support system that is available to them.

King said that she loves working with great volunteers at such a beautiful event, though it's a shame that such a thing as cancer has to bring them together. The traditional "tent city" featured teams with names like Team Pixie Dust.

Luminaries in small white bags surrounded the track, bearing the names of those who had not won their battle against cancer. This solemn memorial was juxtaposed with the loud music from a DJ and the small children playing under the tents.

Jennifer Inostroza, a teacher at Woodbridge Middle School, was one of the participants at the event. She was involved with a group of teachers from the area who all chose to dress up as Dalmations, complete with white and black polka-dotted shirts and collars, fitting with their 101 Dalmations theme.

It was Inostroza's first time at the event, which she felt was important to "bring awareness to get people to stop smoking; my mom quit because my family had a history of cancer."

Another important part of Relay for Life is the presence of those who survived the disease, such as Judy Spera, 59, from Garwood. A survivor of breast cancer, she has been in remission for four years. Spera has an even larger connection to the relay, after losing her mother to breast cancer and having several friends diagnosed as well. Despite the odds, Spera says, there is one important message to gain from Relay for Life: "That you can survive," she said. "It makes you appreciate life more."