Hundreds turn out for Relay for Life in Merced

Hundreds turned out over the weekend for the 18th annual Merced Relay for Life.

Tributes to cancer survivors and those whose battles ended tragically lined the track at Merced College as participants walked to raise money to continue the battle.

Booths set up around the field featured games, raffles and educational information. Entertainment and activities – including movies, dance performances, music and kids’ crafts – kept participants entertained between laps.

Dr. Gordy Klatt began Relay for Life in 1985 as a way to illustrate what someone fighting cancer endures, according to the American Cancer Society. Later, the event became a relay, representing the support that family and friends provide to people in the fight against cancer.

Donations raised from the event will go toward research as well as for efforts to support survivors and patients in Merced, such as the local service programs Look Good Feel Better and Road to Recovery.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Hundreds turn out for Relay for Life in Merced."