Howard Beach Relay for Life

Area residents and people from all around the country braved the rain last weekend to participate in the Howard Beach Relay for Life, an emotional event during which about 1,000 people remembered cancer victims and celebrated survivors.

The event on June 11 and 12 at Frank M. Charles Memorial Park raised roughly $150,000 for the American Cancer Society, according to Relay Co-Chairwoman Phyllis Inserillo.

“People came out as if there was beautiful sunshine,” Inserillo said. “The day meant a lot to them. It shows the community’s hope in finding a cure for cancer.”

About 500 people, many from Howard Beach and others from around Queens and the country, were members of the teams that participated in the relay. The event kicked off with an opening ceremony that honored survivors, followed by a luminaria ceremony that was dedicated to Mary Napolitano, a 44-year-old Howard Beach resident who died earlier this month after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Napolitano’s 15-year-old daughter, Dawnmarie, sang at the ceremony, and Inserillo said there was not a dry eye in the crowd.

“It was hard for us this year, with Mary being gone,” she said. “But that’s why we’re there, to make sure our friends and family don’t die from this disease.”

— Anna Gustafson