By Mary O’KEEFE

The Foothills Relay for Life benefitting the American Cancer Society held its kick-off on Saturday night, Oct. 26 at the corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard.

The familiar giant signs reading HOPE, FIGHT BACK and CELEBRATE decorated the Relay table as Lori Carrico, chair for the Foothills event, spoke about how the event has grown over the years.

“Last year almost half of our teams were [made up] of kids,” she said.

The youth teams are the future of Foothill Relay for Life, Carrico added.

Those who gathered spoke briefly about what drew them to the event; everyone who spoke had a friend, loved one or they themselves who were touched by cancer.

Foothills Relay for Life is a 24-hour event when participating teams make certain at least one team member is on the track at Clark Magnet High School throughout the 24 hours. Since the Foothills Relay started over 13 years ago, it has raised over $1 million dollars for the American Cancer Society.

The Foothills Relay for Life will be held on May 11-12, 2014. To support a team, start a team or for general information, visit www.foothillsrelayforlife.com.

  Mary Okeefe