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news

 

On June 28th, nearly sixty teams comprised of over 800 participants, converged upon Quinnipiac University for the 2008 Relay for Life of Hamden/North Haven. Under sunny skies and temperatures into the 90s, the only sign of rain was Sound Tiger mascot Storm.

Relay for Life is a twenty-four hour event that joins communities together as they work to fight against cancer. Storm was on site in Hamden to greet fans, pose for photos, and cheer on walkers as they worked towards a goal of $225,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Nearly every participant at this year’s relay had been touched by cancer in some way. Meredith Koch, team captain for the “Knights for Life,” first started out at Relay for Life six years ago, at the urging of her cousin, a twelve year cancer survivor.

“My mom is a survivor, my sister-in-law is a survivor, my father-in-law is a survivor. One of my best friends has thyroid cancer. It affects my life constantly,” Koch said. “After my first Relay, I just kept coming down. Eventually I took over as team captain just to help out and donate.”

Throughout the year, teams will often hold fundraising events. The “Knights for Life,” a group comprised of Knights of Columbus, their family, and friends, has one of Relay for Life’s most successful annual fundraisers. Twice a year, they host a beer fest, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. In just one of these events, they were able to raise $3000 for the Hamden Relay.

That’s not to neglect the fundraising that takes place at the actual event. Teams are able to decorate their tent in any way they like.

One group, Flair for Hair, offered hair cuts for adults and kids. Those cutting off more than ten inches had the option of donating their hair to “Locks of Love,” a charity that provides wigs to children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.

With Storm’s fur not quite befitting of a Locks of Love donation, he spent much of his time providing entertainment in the Kids Care tent.

The importance of Storm’s appearance and the support of the Sound Tigers at Relay for Life event was a point emphasized over and over again. Heather Stocking, American Red Cross Director of Community Event Development, was thrilled that Storm was able to join in this year’s festivities. “Having the Sound Tigers involved in this relay shows the community that they are behind the cancer cause. It’s great to have Storm come out and support our relay,” she said.

Koch enthusiastically agreed, “The kids love the Sound Tigers’ mascot. They love taking pictures with Storm!”

According to Bridgeport Sound Tigers Community Relations Director Shane Beardsley, keeping involved with the American Cancer Society is a top priority.

“The ability to reaffirm our relationship with the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life events is great,” he said. “We’ve been at relays all over Connecticut, including Newtown, Shelton, and Fairfield. This weekend we gave away family four packs of tickets, t-shirts, and promotional items to Relay participants. Relay for Life is festive in nature, and we want to help add to the overall fun of the events for the unfortunate issue of cancer.”