Herndon Ready to Kick Off for Relay

The organizers of Herndon Relay for Life are ready to kick off the ninth year of Relay in Herndon on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

In the past eight years Herndon’s Relay event has raised more than $1.3 million for the American Cancer Society.

Event Chair Sheila Grooms said in past years the event had to move from Herndon High School to Herndon Middle School because the addition of a turf field at the high school. She said because of the venue change some past participants weren’t able to take part, but said they will be back this year. 

Grooms has been a Relay team captain since 2005 and this is her first year as chair. She said this year’s theme is Back to the Future, looking back at some of the most popular previous themes. She said some of the meetings leading up to the big Relay event, set to take place June 9-10, will focus on past themes as well.

This year, organizers said they are working to get Relay back on track. The Herndon Relay for Life kick-off event will acknowledge those lost to cancer, survivors of cancer and the caregivers of those with cancer.

Grooms said the kickoff, which will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Herndon Police Department community room, 397 Herndon Pkwy., will get team members, captains and organizers excited about this year’s Relay.

Over the next couple months organizers will work to pull the big event together. Herndon Relay currently has 11 teams and 66 participants signed up. The event will take place from 1 p.m. Saturday, June 9 to 6 a.m. Sunday, June 10.  

The Herndon Relay for Life event will start with a survivor luncheon, the survivors lap and opening ceremonies. The Luminaria ceremony is always memorable and special to the attendees, Grooms said.

For this year’s Luminaria ceremony, organizers will ask participants to bring canned food to hold the Luminaria down, which will later be donated to a local food bank, Grooms said. In past years sand has been used.

This year there will be a focus on activities for youth of all ages, Grooms said. She said they are looking at holding a poster contest for younger children, and activities for teens in the evening that aren’t loud, since the event is held in a residential neighborhood.

Grooms said they would like to see more youth teams at the event as well. She said the Herndon High School Robotics Team and ROTC get involved, but more school teams would be great.

In addition to youth-focused activities, there will also likely be fitness and health related activities, such as Zumba, yoga and hoola hoop dancing, Grooms said. She also hopes to see more on-site fundraising, such as bake sales, glow bracelet sales and lap beads.

Grooms said while pulling a team together can be a lot of work, it’s a worthwhile effort. She said Relay pulls together groups of people who may not otherwise spend a lot of time together, making it memorable.

The event can sometimes be an uncomfortable one, due to summer temperatures or other weather conditions, any hardship endured is much more manageable than going through even one round of chemotherapy, Grooms said. At the end of the day it’s really about having fun for a good cause, she said.

For more information about Herndon Relay for Life, to get involved, become a captain, start a team or join a team, visit Herndon Relay for Life on the web.