Organizers of the yearly Relay for Life, an event which raises funds to support cancer research in Canada, say the event has outgrown its traditional home.
After being held at Masich Place Stadium in previous years, the event will be held at Exhibition Park, near the CN Centre and Kin Centre complex this year. Organizers of the event made the announcement on Wednesday at a media event held at Northland Nissan. The new venue will be much larger and will allow for better accessibility and better parking for those travelling to the event from out of town with RVs.
The relay will begin at 10 a.m. on June 9. It is the only 24-hour relay in Canada, and will run until 10 a.m. the next day.
The Relay for Life also welcomed a new presenting sponsor. After years of financial support, the Northland Auto Group has upgraded its charitable sponsorship of the event this year, becoming a fundraising incentive sponsor.
Northland dealers will be offering participants the chance to walk away from the event with a new car. Every registered participant who raises $500 or over will be entered in a draw for a brand new Nissan Micra or a Hyundai Accent.
"Cancer touches all our lives in some degree," said Kyle Bachman and Peter Sia, in a media release.
Both are dealer-principals at Northland dealerships throughout Prince George.
"We've lost some of our own family here at Northland but we also have survivors who beat the odds and work here today because of the medical advancements and tech innovations that fundraising events like Relay for Life help make possible," Bachman and Sia said.
The event raised more than $570,000 last year, the highest total in Canada. This year will mark the event's 26th year in Prince George and organizers have dubbed the theme of the event "Colours of Hope."
"Not everybody knows that every cancer has a colour, so we're encouraging all of our participants to wear whatever colour of cancer they walk for," said Melanie Blake, the Volunteer Event Chair.
"What our hope is, with that much colour on that site, it should be pretty tremendous, it should really stand out."
The relay will be open to both individuals and teams. Individuals can register online at relayforlife.ca/princegeorge or at the office of the Canadian Cancer Society at 1100 Alward St.
