CRANBERRY TWP — For 15 years, participants in the Relay For Life of Greater Cranberry Township have been fighting to find a cure for cancer.

Now, organizers hope the community will join in making the event the largest yet.

The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 21 at the township's North Boundary Park.

The event here began in 2003 after Amy Fuller, a former Oil City resident, brought it to Cranberry.

“Now, 15 years later, over $1 million later, and hundreds of new friends and extended family part of our lives, we will celebrate, remember and fight back once again,” she said. “I honestly feel like a proud mama as I have watched the Relay For Life of Cranberry Township event grow and change over the last 15 years, as if it were a baby turning into a young adult.”

The day features a Kids Zone with activities and inflatables and a food truck dinner party. Entertainment includes karaoke and a talent show, as well as performances by Concrete Soul, Colin McCann Band, Flashback and School of Rock.

The day's more poignant events include a Fight Back ceremony, a brunch for survivors and the Light the Way of Hope ceremony, which includes laps for survivors and their caregivers, the release of butterflies and the lighting of luminaria in memory of those who lost their battles.

Those moments hold special places in the lives of those who have been impacted by cancer, including Heather Baumgartel, co-leader of the event's planning team. She became involved eight years ago following her mother's diagnosis with Stage 4 lung cancer.

“Her doctor offered her a new oral chemotherapy pill that gave her a better quality of life for her last years,” Baumgartel said. “After I found out that ACS was responsible for funding this new treatment, I knew I had to give back and became involved in Relay for Life first as a team captain, then as part of the event leadership team and finally this year as a co-event lead.”

This year's event will be the 17th relay for Joan McConahy, the event's other co-leader. Her son, Sam, died in 2002 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

“We were blessed to have him Relay with us the first 2 years, and we love remembering him and celebrating his life each July with so many folks dedicated to getting rid of cancer once and for all,” she said. “The celebration mood of the event always lifts our spirits, and we love connecting with old friends and meeting new friends each summer.

“Sharing the burden of cancer with others definitely makes it more bearable.”

For more information, or to find out how to get involved, visit www.relayforlife.org/pacranberry.