Walking for a cause

To honor both cancer survivors and those that lost their battle with cancer, the Relay for Life is returning for the second year in a row.

Organizer Tricia Hackett Turner said that she is glad the event continues to return to Wareham after taking a five-year hiatus.

"We really missed the event and the community all coming together for such an important thing so we brought it back," Turner said.

Relay for Life is a walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society and honor all those who have experienced the disease.

The fundraiser had been held in Wareham for nearly 20 years before it was moved to Plymouth in 2019. Organizers Tricia Hackett and Megan Murphy brought the event back to Wareham last fall and are getting ready for the walk again this year.

Hackett began volunteering at the event after her grandfather died of caner when she was 20-years-old. After a friend urged her to check out the relay, she said she was blown away.

"It warms your heart to see so many people there to support the cause," she said. "It's just as heartbreaking to see how many people have been affected by it." 

The walk will be held Saturday, Sept. 13 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wareham Middle School located at 4 Viking Drive. Previous years had the walk occur over night, which Hackett said has gone away for 2025 to make the event easier.

The long walk includes a “survivors lap” where cancer survivors walk around the middle school track as others cheer them on and Hackett said the “lap” this year will just be walking down one of the track’s straightaways.

A free dinner for survivors will be held following the lap provided by many local restaurants. Hackett said this year the focus falls to the survivors. 

"We're going big for the survivors— we always do," she said. "But this year we just want to love on them a little extra."

Last year’s walk had 72 participants and raised just over $28,500 for cancer research. Those interested in the dinner are urged to call 1-800-227-2345 to register as soon as possible in order to ensure there is enough food for everybody.