Relay for Life: the Museums Join the Fight against Cancer

By: Kajsa Sabatke, Manager of Public Programs

If you’ve been to Sugaring Off Sundays, you may have seen the table for the History Alive! Relay for Life Team, sponsored by The Farmers’ Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum. Relay for Life is an annual event that raises money for the American Cancer Society, and the museums have sponsored a team for several years.

When I first joined a Relay for Life team in college, I thought of it mostly as a way to support cancer research since that’s what I most associated with the American Cancer Society. Research is important, but that can be of little comfort to those battling cancer – and their families and friends. In the last few years I’ve learned more about all the amazing programs that the event funds, though, and one of the things I like best is that it also helps to fund many programs that support cancer patients and their families. When we raise money, it helps fund a support hotline and website where people can get more information, and screenings and other preventative measures. It also helps provide transportation for patients to get to and from their treatments and other medical appointments, as well as lodging for patients and their caregivers when they are far from home for medical care.

When our Relay for Life event finally comes at the end of May, I have the honor of joining my coworkers and their families – as well as many others from the local area – in walking the track to join together in our fight against cancer. Many of us join the History Alive team because of personal ties to people with cancer: coworkers, family, and friends alike. If you want to find out more about Relay for Life or find a Relay in your area, you can check out the Relay for Life website.