Crawford, a cancer survivor, was reminiscing about her participation in the Relay For Life, a 24-hour event organized by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness about the disease.

For her, the most moving part of the relay is when the luminarias--small white bags with candles inside them--are lighted and placed around the track. Each bag honors a cancer survivor or is in memory of someone who has lost the fight with cancer.

The relay is now an annual fixture in 4,100 communities across the country.

Next month Saratoga will join that list.

Volunteers, cancer survivors and their friends and families will come together at Redwood Middle School on Aug. 6 and 7 to honor survivors and remember cancer victims over a 24-hour period. Relay For Life is also the American Cancer Society's largest fundraising event.

Magda Jisrawi, community development manager for the relay, said that almost 25 cities in the Silicon Valley area now organize the event annually.

The overnight event features teams of eight to 20 people who take turns running, jogging or walking around a track. Each team tries to keep one team member on the track constantly.

Angie Carrillo, marketing communications director for the American Cancer Society, said people often see their neighbors or friends coping with the disease and want to help, but do not know how exactly to go about it. The relay provides that opportunity. Team members collect donations prior to the event, in addition to a registration fee.

"Relay For Life is a celebration party at the end of the fundraising," Carrillo said.

She said the society originally wanted Saratoga High School as a venue for the relay. But construction of the school's Performing Arts and Lecture Center made that impossible. Jisrawi is expecting between 150 and 200 participants, with 20 teams already registered.

"Our goal is to raise $24,000, but we want to raise a lot more money than that," Jisrawi said. "We're still looking for sponsors."

Carrillo said the event serves as a community get-together where people pitch tents, bring their lawn chairs and take turns walking or running around the track. Informational booths at the event also help people become more knowledgeable about cancer.

"We want them to come, talk to us and ask questions about our services," Carrillo said.

She said when survivors come out and talk to newly diagnosed cancer patients, it motivates them to fight the disease.

Kristell Mazucco, a cancer survivor who lives in Saratoga, said that she was looking forward to raising awareness about cancer through the relay in Saratoga.

"I'm going to bring my dad and I'm going to bring my little nieces. It is going to be a family event," she said.

The first lap of the relay is usually run by cancer survivors. Carrillo said it's a very moving and emotional experience to see people who have survived the disease taking part in the relay.

The event will also include games, food and music. Councilwoman Aileen Kao is part of the planning committee for the event, and said she's seen a lot of enthusiasm in the community about the relay.

"A lot of people have been touched by cancer in some way. We've got a very strong response from the community," said Lucinda Layton, the team captain coordinator for the Saratoga relay.

The first relay was held in Tacoma, Wash., more than 20 years ago. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 133,625 people in California will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

For more information about the Saratoga Relay For Life, call Magda Jisrawi, community development manager for the event, at 408.688.0117 or email her at magda.jisrawi@cancer.org.