Update! In remembrance and celebration, Relay for Life an event for the entire community

Updated June 14, 2023 at 8:25pm

The Northport-East Northport community surpassed fundraising expectations for this year’s Relay for Life event, nearly doubling its original goal. Students and community members participating in the event raised over $96,000 for the fight against cancer; when planning first began, organizers hoped they would reach $50,000. With the total amount raised still being finalized, the district anticipates efforts will reach $100,000. The Northport Journal's story on the annual Relay for Life event, published on June 10, appears below.

For the past few months, organizers and fundraisers, both teams and individuals, have been working hard in the leadup to the Northport Relay for Life, a chapter in The American Cancer Society Relay for Life movement – the world’s largest peer-to-peer fundraising event dedicated to saving lives from cancer, and helping those affected by the disease.

Planning committees and participation meetings have included representatives from every school in the Northport-East Northport district, and today, June 10 at 5pm, the community will come together to celebrate those efforts while honoring survivors and caregivers, as well as remembering those who lost their lives to cancer.

All are welcome to enjoy the community event, which will include bands, a DJ, games, food and numerous vendors. Everyone at the event, from ice cream vendors to bounce houses is giving their proceeds back to Relay for Life and the money is going to fight cancer, said high school teacher and one of many of the event’s organizers, David Scott. “Just by showing up, playing a game or buying some food, people are making a difference,” he said.

“This community has had a huge impact in the fight against cancer and has the largest relay on Long Island in number of survivors that attend (over 50 each year), number of participants… as well as in fundraising dollars,” said Chelsea Whitney, American Cancer Society’s Senior Development Manager for the northeast region. She expects about 2,000 people to join the event today.

“The magic of the Relay for Life in Northport is in the people and the community. You all come together to support and unite under one cause, to eliminate cancer once and for all,” Whitney told the Journal.

According to Whitney, the Northport-East Northport school district and community have raised over 2.2 million dollars in the fight against cancer since beginning their relay in 2009; this year the original fundraising goal was met and raised to $100,000, which organizers hope to reach by the end of the weekend.

Today’s Relay for Life will take place on the Northport High School track from 5pm to 5am. Traditionally, Relay events last anywhere from six to 24 hours with teams of survivors, caregivers and supporters taking turns walking around a track or designated path. In Northport, participants will alternate walking the track while enjoying all the 12-hour event has to offer. An event schedule is posted below. Community members may come for an hour to enjoy the games and vendors, or spend longer. Luminarias honoring those people affected by cancer will be lit at approximately 8:30pm.

For more information on the Northport Relay for Life, and to make a donation, click here. Donations at the time of this article publishing were up to $87,176 of the $100,000 goal.