Relay For Life Goes Virtual On July 31
By: , June 10, 2021
Photo: Contributed
Luminaria Bags with candles lit in memory of persons who have lost their lives to cancer, at the 2018 staging of Relay for Life, which is the Jamaica Cancer Society's flagship fundraising and awareness event.The Full Story
The flagship fundraising and awareness event of the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), Relay for Life, will be held virtually this year under the theme: ‘Hope From Yaad’. Jamaicans can tune in to the event, which will be held on July 31 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
It will be streamed live on the JCS website at www.jamaicacancersociety.org, the entity’s Facebook, YouTube and Instagram pages, and on Zoom.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Relay for Life Chairperson, Marie Powell, said that the virtual staging, which is being done for the first time in the event’s 19-year history, is due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, which includes social distancing and other measures to help curb the spread of the disease.
She said it was felt that this was a more suitable option than cancelling the much-anticipated annual affair that Jamaicans have grown accustomed to over the years.
Mrs. Powell noted that the virtual staging provides opportunity for cancer survivors and supporters of the JCS and Relay for Life, both in Jamaica and abroad, to “come together and ‘relay at home’ and thus continue the focus on celebrating survivorship, remembering those who have lost the fight and take action”.
She said there will be no limit on the number of viewers.
The virtual event will showcase some of the traditional aspects of Relay for Life, including the opening and luminaria ceremonies, and a discussion segment on COVID-19 and cancer.
Mrs. Powell said that there will be a strong line-up of performances for the ‘Purple Party’, which will feature Pam Hall, Shaggy, among others.
During the event, viewers will have the opportunity to participate in the fund-raising aspect by purchasing luminaria bags in honour of a cancer survivor or in memory of a loved one.
“We are inviting individuals, families, churches, corporate Jamaica, the diaspora, and everyone else, to share with us on this first staging of a virtual Relay for Life event in the English-speaking Caribbean,” Mrs. Powell urged, noting that the JCS is looking forward to an interesting, fun-filled and highly participatory affair.
In 2019, Relay for Life raised some $12 million, which was used to support the screening, testing, counselling, public education and advocacy work of the JSC.
Information on how persons can make donations is available on the JCS’ website.