Community Corner
Relay for Life Raises $53,000 to Fight Cancer
Local residents hold walk-a-thon at Chatsworth High School to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
Local residents walked in the Relay For Life at the Chatsworth High School football field this weekend. Seventeen teams joined together and raised $52, 864 for the American Cancer Society by late Saturday.
For 24-hours team members took turns walking around the track as a symbol that cancer never sleeps.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year," said Usha Murthy, a Woodland Hills resident. "The American Cancer Society has been a great support. I think I've reached a milestone, I wish good luck for everyone that's going through this."
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Dedicated team members camped out through the night surrounded by the glow of the Luminaira, the illuminated bags personalized by loved ones to honor those affected by cancer.
"Although I've been through a lot of difficult challenges I don't want cancer to define me, and I know that other survivors out there feel the same way," said Chatsworth High School alumna Anne Rahm. "We can make it through. We can come out to the other side."
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Many were deeply moved by the Luminaria Ceremony where names of those affected by cancer were mentioned while luminarias honoring them illuminated the path for all relay participants to walk the track.
This year the Chatsworth Relay for Life chose to use canned food to hold luminarias in place, instead of sand. The food will be donated to the food pantry at 1st United Methodist Church of San Fernando.
"I just want to say that all this wind today and everything else did not stop us from fighting, stop us from raising, walking, and I'm just so happy with my committee [and] my teams for doing their top," said Relay For Life Event Chair Jheri Heetland.
