Artesia News

Artesia's Team in Relay for Life Raised Thousands to Fight Cancer!


Artesia participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Saturday and Sunday at Gahr High School’s track. The Artesia team raised approximately $4,000 for the charity. The event raised $45,000 all together.

Participants of the Relay for Life camped out on Gahr High School’s track as others walked in the middle of the night. The Relay for Life is a 24 hour event in which teams must always have a representative on the track walking. 31 teams participated in the event, up from 24 last year. Last year’s event brought in approximately $41,000. There was also plenty of food, games, and music to keep the approximately 1,000 people attending entertained throughout the day. The “baton” used for the Artesia team was a couple of chrysanthemums, the city flower.

Prior to the walk, Father Fernando of St. Peter Chapel prayed on behalf of cancer survivors, those died of cancer, and those currently struggling with it. Artesia princesses Mary-Krystle Viramontes, Megan Versteeg, and Melissa Senteno sang the National Anthem.

In order to warm up for the walk, Moises Lopez led everyone in a massive aerobics exercise.

At 9:15 a.m., cancer survivors clad in purple Relay for Life t-shirts lined up at the starting line and began their first lap around the track. For the city of Artesia, Virginia Alexander, cancer survivor, was the first to walk.

Many individuals walked for personal reasons. Code enforcement officer Leonard Moreno, Artesia’s second team member to walk, said, “I’m walking for my mother … who died of cancer, and my niece. I’m also walking for my friend’s mother-in-law, who just recovered.”

Mayor Larry R. Nelson walked the following morning. Nelson said, “My father had cancer of the esophagus.” The mayor also expressed a desire to see Artesia get more involved in the event.

At 9:15 p.m., the "Luminaria" display took place. During the "Luminarius", all the lights are turned off, leaving only the light of candles on the track and on the bleachers. Up on the bleachers, the word “HOPE” was spelled out and 15 minutes later, it changed to the word “CURE”. Also, another procession was done around 9:30 p.m., in which everyone present followed a lone bagpiper who played “Amazing Graze”.

At 9 a.m. the following morning, everyone again got on the track for the final lap.
The city of Artesia’s booth and the one next to it, “The Hula-gans”, won an award for the best looking booth.

For more information, visit www.cancer.org , or call 1 (800) ACS-2345.

The City of Artesia won an award for "Best Looking Booth"
Artesia had two cancer survivors on their team, Virginia Alexander (left) and Sharon Morais, who wore purple shirts
Beautification and maintenance Commissioner Barbara Applebury and her grandchildren walked for a loved one, Mel Applebury, who died of cancer
Cerritos council members walk with Artesia's Mayor Pro Tem John Lyon (left) and Mayor Larry Nelson (second from right)
City Manager Maria Dadian walks with a friend
Everyone go on the track for the final walk
Yes, everyone was on the track
Luminaries spelled out what everyone was walking for
A beautiful sight, beautiful sky, beautiful word . . .
Luminaries with names of loved ones
In the white shirts, City Clerk Gloria considine and Human Resources Generalist (also Artesia Team organizer) Maddy Galindo warm up before relay begins
Mayor Pro Tem John Lyon and Mayor Larry Nelson walked at 9 am
Mayor Larry Nelson with his wife
Miss Artesia and princesses warm up with some aerobics then walked from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.!
Artesia's Royalty sings the National Anthem before the relay
Maddy Galindo passes the "spirit stick", some crysanthemums, to the city's first walker, Virginia Alexander
The first on the track were cancer survivors who . . .
. . . .set an example for everyone and provided motivation for us all

 

 

 

 


 

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