By Nicole Falco
Valley Stream School District 13, together with the American Cancer Society, will present the community's first annual Relay For Life May 6-7 on the North High School track. It will be an overnight community celebration in which friends, families, neighbors and coworkers form teams to walk or run around the school track, raising spirits, cancer awareness and money to fight the disease. District 13 hosted a kickoff at the James A. Dever School last Thursday night.
"I've always believed that one person can have a significant, positive impact on one person's life and that teams of people - a community - can have a positive impact on many lives," Dr. Elizabeth Lison, District 13 superintendent of schools, told more than 150 people who gathered for the kickoff.
The district decided to host the event after brainstorming several ideas to bring the schools and community together. "We watched the video for Relay For Life and that sold us," Lison explained. "We are able to use the track at North, and we feel there's not one person whose life hasn't been affected by cancer."
In fact, Michael Mastrocinque, a member of District 13's Board of Education, fought his own battle with lymphoma while attending law school in 2001. Mastrocinque shared his survivor's story with the audience.
"One way I was able to deal with all that was by experiencing how incredible people can be in the dark times in our lives," Mastrocinque said. "Relay For Life exemplifies the same goodness I was comforted by, and affords us the opportunity to give back."
Mastrocinque and other cancer survivors will begin the festivities by taking a "survivor victory lap" around the track at 7 p.m. At sundown, luminaria candles will be placed around the track to create a glowing tribute to those who have died or are currently battling the disease. There will be entertainment and activities throughout the night.
To date, more than 3 million people in 4,400 communities in 21 countries have participated in Relay For Life events since its inception more than 20 years ago. Relay For Life traces its roots back to 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Wash., ran around a track for 24 hours to raise money to fight cancer.
"The more people we can get involved, the greater the event will be," said Christine Thomaides, an American Cancer Society representative. "This truly is a movement, and I want Valley Stream and everyone here tonight to be a part of that movement."
Besides donating the track, Bob Thornton, administrative associate at North, said he would also encourage students and clubs to volunteer for the event, perhaps by running a face-painting booth or a refreshment stand.
Many in the audience left Dever with plans to form a team or, at the very least, with more information about the event. "Anything that helps with the fight against cancer is good for the community and good for everybody," said Janice McAuley.
Lisa Brigagliano has already made plans to walk with her oldest daughter and her sister. "I'm doing it in memory of my mom, and also that hopefully one day they will find a cure and other families won't have to go through this terrible disease," said Brigagliano.
Her 74-year-old mother, Laura, died in November after a 19-month battle with lung cancer. She was a nonsmoker.
"It's a way of helping out others - it's a good feeling to be able to do that," Brigagliano said. "It's so nice that we have the whole district, all of the schools coming together."
Anyone interested in volunteering for one of the dozen or more committees that have been formed to organize the event can attend a meeting at Dever on Feb. 7. On Feb. 21, a meeting for team captains will be held in Dever's auditorium. For more information, contact Christine Thomaides at the American Cancer Society's Syosset office at (800) ACS-2345, ext. 3005, or visit www.cancer.org or www.valleystream13.com.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
