Cranston lights the night for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Posted 10/17/12

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Cranston lights the night for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

UP UP AND AWAY: Brittany Wardell and Whitney Goulish hold up their balloons and keep smiling, despite the damp weather at Light the Night.

SUPPORTING THE CAUSE: Body Complete, a women’s fitness center in Cranston, participated in Light the Night at Garden City. Body Complete owner Donna Spinelli and her son, Peter, a survivor, got their staff involved, and together they raised more than $1,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

IN MEMORY: The Tomasso family of Abby’s Walkers walked in memory of young Abby during Light the Night in Garden City to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Photo courtesy John Borzain

KEEP FIGHTING: Olivia Cataldi and Miranda Petrella participated in Light the Night, a cause very close to both of their hearts. The young girls, both Cranston residents, have battled leukemia.

HEATING UP: Body Complete Fitness instructors warm up the crowd with a Zumba demonstration. Body Complete is located at 1375 Park Avenue. For more information, visit www.bodycompletefitness.com or call 946-0378.

THE WHITE BALLOON: Team Walk for Olivia eagerly awaits the start of the 2012 Light the Night Walk in Garden City. Olivia is holding a white balloon that represents that she is a survivor and her family is holding red balloons as supporters of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Photo courtesy John Borzain

Posted Wednesday, October 17, 2012 1:00 pm

On Saturday, Oct. 6, Garden City hosted the Light the Night Walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Many of the businesses in the center participated, raising money for the Society, and more than 1,800 people attended the event. Approximately $185,000 was raised, which will go toward blood cancer research throughout the world, in addition to education, patient services and financial assistance for thousands of local Rhode Island families.

Supporters in the battle against blood cancers carried red illuminated balloons, patients and survivors carried white balloons and other walkers carried gold balloons as a tribute to those they have lost to blood cancers.

Prior to the walk, participants had the opportunity to enjoy music by DJ Jason Citron of Music Mixers DJ Services, a kids’ corner courtesy of Whole Foods Cranston and The Children’s Workshop, and music from the Cranston High School West Choir Directed by Phil Lachance.

Mayor Allan Fung and Congressman Langevin were in attendance and the walk began with a Zumba warm up provided by Body Complete Fitness in Cranston.

New to the walk this year was the Garden of Hope, which was a reflective area on the walk route that was made to replicate a serenity garden full of pictures and signs, poems, flowers, hay bales and more donated by Schartner Farms and garden accessories donated by Walpole Woodworkers.

Donations are still being accepted for Light the Night through the end of the year. For additional information, contact LLS at (800) 955-4572 or visit www.LLS.org.

(Submitted photos)