18th Boardman Relay gets under way tonight

BOARDMAN

Fun-loving, smart, funny and family-oriented are some of the ways those who knew Linda Chernushin wish to remember her.

“She always smiled,”

recalled Chernushin’s daughter Kara Riccitelli. “She would make you feel better, no matter what was going on.”

Chernushin, who died March 15, 2011, from lung cancer at age 57, was the driving force behind “Linda’s Legacy,” one of an estimated 64 teams taking part in the American Cancer Society’s 2012 Relay for Life of Boardman event, which began Friday and continues until 6 p.m. today at Boardman Center Middle School.

The 24-hour gathering, in its 18th year, brought together teams representing area businesses, churches, families and schools to raise money for cancer research, advocacy, education and services.

The event, themed “Saving the day the relay way” and “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it is about dancing in the rain,” also was to celebrate lives being saved from cancer and remember those who died from the disease, organizers said.

This year’s goal is $214,000, noted Danielle Procopio, volunteer chairwoman.