Several hundred volunteers representing 30 fundraising teams will take over Memorial Stadium and Highline High School Friday and Saturday, June 23-24.

Their goal is to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Team members will take turns walking around the track continuously for 18 hours at the second annual Relay For Life of Highline.

King County Councilmember Dow Constantine, a long-time supporter of Relay For Life, will be the special guest speaker at the Opening Ceremony for the event, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Mount Rainier High School graduate and former swim team coach Joe Fain, now a legislative aide with the King County Council, is returning to the community to serve as the guest emcee for the Opening Ceremony.

The public is invited to participate in the Opening Ceremony, where cancer survivors will contribute their inspiring messages.

Other cancer survivors in the community and their caregivers are encouraged to join in the Survivors' Lap around the track to kick off the Relay For Life immediately following the opening remarks.

Survivors will be treated to a complimentary Italian dinner after the initial relay lap.

Visitors to the Relay For Life event also can enjoy live music, face painting, children's activities, food and beverages.

Three local bands are donating their talents to perform on Saturday: The Van Helps at 4 p.m., Gilda's Music Monday at 6:30 p.m., and The Daddy O's at 7 p.m.

An inspirational Luminaria Ceremony begins at 10 p.m. Saturday with the lighting of decorated lanterns honoring those who have survived cancer, and memorializing those who have died.

Luminaria lanterns will be available by donation, and the names of all those remembered will scroll continuously on a video screen.

"The response from the community to this effort has been truly heartwarming, said Sandra Hart, chairwoman for the Relay for Life of Highline.

"The goal is to raise awareness in the community about cancer treatment and prevention as well as to raise money for cancer research. Sponsorships and donations already have exceeded our goals, and more contributions are coming in.

"It is exciting to see how much this community truly cares about fighting cancer."

Participating teams already have raised more than $33,000 in on-line donations, and thousands more with community fund-raising activities.

"We are excited to be in Burien this year for our Highline event, because the community has been so welcoming and supportive," Hart said.

"A big part of that has been our partnership with Highline Medical Center's Cancer Care Center." A wide variety of information about cancer care, treatment and prevention will be available at the Relay For Life event.

Relay For Life is a community gathering where everyone can participate in the fight against cancer.

In addition to raising funds and awareness, the event is a time to remember those lost to cancer and to celebrate those who have survived.

For more information about the Relay for Life of Highline in June, contact Karee Boone at the American Cancer Society, 206-674-4105 or karee.boone@cancer.org, or Event Chairwoman Sandra Hart, 206-713-4458, sandra.hart@alliancedata.com.

Contribute on line at http://www.kintera.org/faf/home.