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Boardman Relay for Life scheduled for May 19
BOARDMAN
For many years, the football stadium at Boardman Center was home to the Boardman Relay for Life.
This year, the event will move to a new venue: Spartan Stadium at Boardman High School, 7777 Glenwood Ave.
Event organizers are excited for the change.
“This year is going to be the most exciting event here in Boardman,” said Frank Lazzeri, co-leader of the event and former Boardman schools superintendent. “We have moved from the old Spartan Stadium to the new Spartan Stadium. ... It’s going to be a super year in this new venue.”
The 2017 Boardman Relay for Life, a 24-hour event, will start at 6 p.m. May 19. The event also will feature its first fireworks display.
Lazzeri said he expects about 3,000 people to attend over the course of the event, with a goal of raising $115,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Money raised from Relay of Life events – of which there are several in the Mahoning Valley – go to cancer research and programs that support cancer patients.
“Eighty-seven percent of it goes to research. The rest of it goes to our local programs,” said Pam Marshall, senior manager of the Youngstown territory for the ACS. She noted programs such as the Hope Lodge in Cleveland, the Road to Recovery, and Patient Navigator as beneficiaries of Relay for Life.
In all, the ACS expects to raise about $1.4 million from the Relay for Life events that will take place in the Valley this season, Marshall said.
“Everybody has their own Relay story,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t been touched by cancer.”
To register for the event or for additional information, visit the Boardman Relay for Life page on acsevents.org.