At this year's Relay for Life, there will be cake - lots of cake.
Nationally, it is the 25th birthday of the Relay for Life campaign, and more than 11 million cancer survivors will celebrate their birthdays this year, too.
Kristi Grothman, chairwoman of the Portage Relay for Life, said the theme of "More Birthdays" through cancer research and funding will coincide with the local walk July 10-11. "Happy Birthday" is a victory song, according to the American Cancer Society.
It's the 20th year of the Portage Relay for Life.
"We are going to have birthday cake. We'll also have a cake walk this year, so in addition to getting free cake, they can win more," Grothman said, who has led the cancer benefit for four years.
The sugar rush might help participants as they round the Portage High School track all night. Teams of participants camp out, take turns walking, and have items available to raffle off around the track.
"It's another fundraising effort they do while at the track, double-teaming it," Grothman said.
To keep a heavy topic on the lighter side, Bob Viking will DJ the event, and games will be played. There will be snacks to purchase on site.
There are 20 teams registered for the event, but it is free and open to anyone who would like to participate. Last year, the effort raised about $90,000.
The goal this year, based on the economy, is $40,000.
"It is to fundraise for the cure, but we really want people to celebrate life and remember those we have lost to cancer," Grothman said.
Grothman walks for the team "Audrey's Angels," in memory of her paternal grandmother who died from the disease in 2006.
"She battled cancer for over 10 years before it finally took her. She put up a good fight. She was pretty stubborn," Grothman said. "She walked (the relay) until she was not able to anymore."
One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society, so people might be walking for their own future cure, too.
"I think it's (cancer) becoming more and more prevalent. It's hard to find somebody today who has not been touched by it directly or indirectly," Grothman said.
A luminary ceremony will take place at 9 p.m. July 10, with white bakery bags decorated to represent a survivor of cancer, or a loved one who died from it.
"Every year we have been able to line the entire inside of the track with people who have been touched by cancer. About 50 percent are people who we have lost, and about 50 percent are those we honor and are still with us," Grothman said. "I'd like it to be lined (100 percent) with people who are still with us."
Bags can be bought for a $10 donation at Summit Credit Union at 110 Henry Drive until Thursday. The luminaries also are available on site the day of the event, and crafts will be provided to decorate the bags.
Audrey has been well represented by her family, and Grothman said she can feel her presence.
"The last couple of years, we've put a picture of her in her nursing uniform on the bag. She was an OB nurse for 40 years in Portage," Grothman said.
The Relay for Life committee meets once a month to coordinate the event, and the 17 members take just one month off after the fundraiser to regroup.
"There's a lot of reward in it, and the committee works on it all year long and deserve a lot of credit," Grothman said.
For more information about the event, contact Grothman at 697-5532.
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