There were clowns, wild animals and a circuslike atmosphere at the 14th annual West End Relay For Life event with the theme of "Cirque De Relais." Pleasant Valley High School stadium was filled with hundreds of people dedicated to showing their support and caring in the fight against cancer.

Sue Dudley, this year's event chair, welcomed everyone by reading a poem composed by her daughter, Cassie Dudley, 30. Cassie's inspiration came from watching her mother, Sue, battle cancer and become a survivor; the pain of losing her grandmother, Mabel Kimber last year to cancer and a friend, Melissa Ciszack, who died in 2010 from oral cancer."Today we walk to remember, today we walk to survive,Today we walk with courage, today we walk with pride.We walk today with strength and a fire burning bright,That one day maybe, one day we will win this fight.We are all here today to remember or support our loved ones and friends,We stand united to say we are here, cancer, and we are not going away.You've taken my grandmother you've taken my best friend,I swear on my heart, I'm not gonna let you win!With strength in numbers like the ones here today,We can and we will, win our fight one day.To those who have fallen we are all here today,To remember your courage, your heart and your name.You are not just a number, you will never be forgotten,We will continue to raise hope and awareness,So your babies will live on for generations."Members of Boy Scout troops 98, 101 and 113 participated in the raising of the American flag and Peter Di Michelle sang a cappella the national anthem, officially beginning the 24-hour event.This year there were 41 teams that participated"We had 12 new teams sign up, which is significant and shows how vast we are growing," says Dudley.To date, they have raised $79,211.61, to be donated to the American Cancer Society to help find a cure for cancer.The individual top fund raiser was Linda Reborchick, second was June O'Neill, and third was Michele Confer.The top team fundraiser was PVPride, first; Arc of Hope, second, and Majestic Athletic Stompers, third.Dudley became involved with Relay For Life as a way of giving back because of how "cancer has touched so many of our lives."Honorary chair Lou Cassaro, currently fighting pancreatic cancer, spoke at the survivors reception and offered an emotional rendition of, "You'll Never Walk Alone."Nick Stanovick spoke about his mother and how much he has missed her since her passing but how she inspired him to start his own nonprofit organization that he wants to make a worldwide charity organization.Mary Schiandra, a previous Relay For Life event chair talked about her survival from breast cancer.The Miss Relay contest was won by former NY Jets player and Superbowl winner, Jeff Richardson.The Best Tent awards were given to: Friends for a Cure, 1st place; Wild About Curves, 2nd; Arcs of Hope, 3rd. The judges were: Chris Eckert Chestnuthill Township Supervisor; Collen Mancuso District Judge; Dean Green Operation Touch of Home.The early evening glowed with 1,100 luminaries, lit in honor or memory of all those who are fighting the battle or lost the battle to cancer."We have been having this event for 14 years. Each year it seems to grow with more and more thought put into how to fund raise and to encourage local business participation. Local businesses have been remarkable with both donations and logistical support from catering to product provision or good old monetary participation. We obviously would like to see more business participation and every year we grow, as more and more people are affected by this disease and there is an increase in caregivers, many of whom seek help and support from the American Cancer Society. The event itself provides them with a focus that they are not alone and together we can all help in the fight," says Dudley.