
Relay for Life at Shaw Park (FILE)
More than 1,000 Winnipeggers will fill Shaw Park tonight for the 11th Annual Relay For Life.
The event is meant to celebrate, remember and fight back against cancer. For the first time, it will also recognize firefighters who are cancer survivors, and 47 who have lost their lives to work-related cancer.
“Manitobans recognize the bravery of the men and women who serve our communities,” said United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forest. “But some of these individuals — and their families — pay the ultimate sacrifice because of cancer.”
The 12-hour relay celebrates an estimated 30,000 Manitobans currently on a cancer journey and those who who have passed. Money raised goes to fund cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society, providing programs and services that support Manitobans living with cancer.
The opening ceremony is at the main stage beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by the first lap walked by over 200 survivors at 7 p.m. The special firefighter lap will take place at 8 p.m.