Quaker Valley Relay For Life Draws Support from the Community

residents gathered Saturday for the eighth annual Relay For Life to honor those who have passed away from cancer and to celebrate those who have beat the disease.

The 22-hour "" event began with an opening ceremony and afterward, teams and individuals began walking the high school track all day. Walkers are scheduled to continue until this morning. 

Various food, games, entertainment and prizes were available throughout the day. Survivors soon gathered dressed in purple T-shirts and walked to celebrate their lives with support from the crowd and lots of cheering.

Local survivor Keith Rothfus of , , stopped by the stadium to greet the survivors, who were treated to a dinner after the walk. Rothfus said he is a five-year survivor of a rare and deadly appendix cancer. He said about 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and 75 percent don't make it past a year. He wanted to show his support for other survivors. 

"You've got to stay positive," said Rothfus, who ran a marathon 18 months after his diagnosis and is now cancer free. "I'm fortunate," he said. 

Barbara Cooley-Thaw, event chair, said she couldn't have asked for better weather and was thrilled with the event overall, though organizers would have loved to see even more people come out.

Josh Walker, master of ceremonies and American Cancer Society staff partner, said he believes turnout would be even greater "if more people knew about it, and knew what (relay) was."

The relay is intended to show that cancer never stops and never sleeps. This year's event has more than 100 participants and 10 registered teams, according to QVRelay.org.

Overall, Walker said plenty of generosity poured in, including a young girl who dropped off $35 she raised from a lemonade stand. Walker was also excited to see more new participants this year along with returning people. 

"I'm thrilled to have seen a lot of new faces here," Walker said. "The new faces with the old, it's really heartwarminng."

Be sure to upload your photos from the event! Check back with Patch for updates on the event.