BAKERSFIELD, CA- Bakersfield's Relay for Life is a little over three weeks away. Thursday night, survivors celebrated life at a special reception just for them at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Southwest Bakersfield.
So far, 283 teams have raised more than $400,000 for this year's Relay for Life. The money raised goes to cancer research in hopes of increasing the number of survivors at this dinner every year.
It's an evening dedicated to celebrating survival at the annual Relay for Life Survivor's Reception in Bakersfield.
"Year in, year out it's kind of my reality check and this community is so strong and we bond together and it's amazing the amount of volunteers that come out every year," said Dana Fabbri, a two-time cancer survivor.
Hundreds of local cancer survivors and their caregivers prepare for the world's largest Relay for Life in Bakersfield a little over three weeks away.
"I wear this shirt to school."
Picking up their special purple shirts and registering for the survivor lap which kicks off the event that raises money for the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research.
"I think that seeing all the survivors here really energizes our research programs and we see the benefit of the research that we're doing and we strive to find new cures for cancer," said Jorge Torres who researches cancer as an assistant professor at UCLA.
Every step and every story of survival helps in the battle against cancer. A battle that Bakersfield's Relay for Life hopes to fund generously this May.
"We all need to pull together and this is an amazing community and the support that we get in this community is phenomenal monetarily with volunteers it's just amazing what we can do," Fabbri said.
Relay for Life kicks off on Saturday, May 3 at Wingspoint on Airport Drive and Merle Haggard Drive in Bakersfield.
You can donate or join a team by logging onto http://www.relayforlife.org/bakersfieldca
Last year's relay in Bakersfield raised more than $1.6 million for the American Cancer Society.
So far, 283 teams have raised more than $400,000 for this year's Relay for Life. The money raised goes to cancer research in hopes of increasing the number of survivors at this dinner every year.
It's an evening dedicated to celebrating survival at the annual Relay for Life Survivor's Reception in Bakersfield.
"Year in, year out it's kind of my reality check and this community is so strong and we bond together and it's amazing the amount of volunteers that come out every year," said Dana Fabbri, a two-time cancer survivor.
Hundreds of local cancer survivors and their caregivers prepare for the world's largest Relay for Life in Bakersfield a little over three weeks away.
"I wear this shirt to school."
Picking up their special purple shirts and registering for the survivor lap which kicks off the event that raises money for the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research.
"I think that seeing all the survivors here really energizes our research programs and we see the benefit of the research that we're doing and we strive to find new cures for cancer," said Jorge Torres who researches cancer as an assistant professor at UCLA.
Every step and every story of survival helps in the battle against cancer. A battle that Bakersfield's Relay for Life hopes to fund generously this May.
"We all need to pull together and this is an amazing community and the support that we get in this community is phenomenal monetarily with volunteers it's just amazing what we can do," Fabbri said.
Relay for Life kicks off on Saturday, May 3 at Wingspoint on Airport Drive and Merle Haggard Drive in Bakersfield.
You can donate or join a team by logging onto http://www.relayforlife.org/bakersfieldca
Last year's relay in Bakersfield raised more than $1.6 million for the American Cancer Society.