Relay for Life - How It All Began

A credentialed construction site safety professional, Vincent Poggioreale serves B & V Contracting as safety supervisor and coordinator. His responsibilities include ensuring that all workers are adequately provided with safety equipment and that all projects are executed and completed according to safety protocols. Vincent Poggioreale volunteers with the annual Relay for Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.

The story of how the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life began shows what a big difference the small action of one person can make. A physician named Dr. Gordon Klatt wanted to do something for the cancer patients being helped by the society. So in May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent 24 hours running and walking around the track of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.

That day, Dr. Klatt ran and walked over 83.6 miles. Friends and family stood by the sidelines, cheering and supporting him in his undertaking. A total of $27,000 in pledges was gathered that day, all in support of the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Klatt remembers that while he was circling the track, he thought of how pleasant it would be if teams participated in a 24-hour fundraising event - something that would encourage other people to take part in the cause. In 1986, the first Relay for Life event was held. Nineteen teams joined the fundraising event, which took place at the Stadium Bowl. The donations and pledges gathered that day totaled $33,000.

Dr. Gordon died in August 2014, but his idea of running and walking for 24 hours to raise funds for cancer patients lives on. The Relay for Life has now become a global fundraising event, raising more than $400 million each year.