The fourth incarnation of the University of Hawai'i's Relay for Life is tomorrow at Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex. Former Rainbow Wahine golfer Allie Rowe, a 2006 Jack Bonham Award winner, brought the "world's largest not-for-profit fundraising event" to Manoa in 2006. It has raised some $200,000 since for the American Cancer Society.

UH student-athletes have been joined by other school groups to form a campus-wide collection agency to fight cancer. The Relay begins at 6 p.m. and runs until 6 a.m. Sunday, with Billy V serving as emcee. The infield will be filled with music, games, tents, food, a silent auction and, ideally, about 1,000 people. It is open to students, faculty and the community.

The vigil will feature three special ceremonies: The first lap around the track to recognize survivors and caregivers; a Ceremony of Hope with 2,000 Luminaria (lanterns) lit around the track, each with the name of someone affected by cancer, and; a Fight Back ceremony where teams pledge to beat cancer through education, research and advocacy.

Donors can contribute online (RelayUH.com). Former basketball player Brittany Grice raised $5,000 alone in 2006. Former kicker Dan Kelly led last year's charge with $1,800 in donations. Going into this year's Relay, Colleges Against Cancer leads the team fundraising with nearly $2,300 and Jason Nagaoka is the top individual with $1,665.

This year's theme is "'80's Style." The 12-hour "schedule" includes aerobics, a limbo contest, dodgeball, yoga and the Mr. Relay Contest, a beauty contest with a twist.

Last year, actor Daniel Dae Kim emceed the Mr. Relay Contest to show support for the event. Staff and administrators also volunteer their time and Sodexho has donated food.

Relay for Life has raised more than $2 billion since its start in 1985. About 5,000 communities participate annually in the U.S. and some 20 other countries. All teams camp out at local high schools, parks, or fairgrounds and take turns walking or running around a track or path.

Each team is asked to have a representative on the track for all 12 hours, symbolizing "the hope that people lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face the disease have support, and that one day cancer will be eliminated."

For more information, email cancer@hawaii.edu or call 956-2441.