Boardman, Liberty set for cancer relays

staff report

They’ll be steppin’ out in Boardman and Liberty to stomp out cancer.

The annual relays for life in both communities get under way at 6 p.m. today. Both conclude around 6 p.m. Saturday.

Liberty’s will be at Church Hill Park off Belmont Avenue, between Interstate 80 and state Route 304

Boardman’s relay will be at the Spartan Stadium at Boardman Center Middle School, which is on Market Street across from Southern Park Mall.

The Relay for Life is the largest fundraiser of the American Cancer Society, and the money raised will go toward finding a cure for the disease.

In addition, this year’s Boardman relay is one of three in Ohio to enroll in the 20-year Cancer Prevention Study-3. Details will be available at the stadium.

Also, cancer survivor Jeff Ondash of Canfield is determined to break the Guinness World Record for most hugs in an hour and raise money for the search for a cure in the process. His first attempt last month was unsuccessful because of low turnout, but Ondash predicted he would become the new record holder at the Boardman Relay.

Ondash will be ready for hundreds of hugs at 7:30 p.m. The current record of 765 is by Jordan Price of Utah. With 2,000 people expected at Boardman’s Relay, Ondash said he could out-hug Price by almost double.