At a Relay for Life event in Fall River, volunteers, survivors and city officials gathered to mark the long-running fundraiser and to urge people to get preventive cancer screening, organizers said.

The Relay for Life in Fall River marked its 27th year in the city, with organizers and longtime volunteers saying the local event has raised "way in the millions" for cancer research and survivor support. Judy LaChance, a Relay for Life volunteer and American Cancer Society volunteer, said she first joined the event and later became the event chair, remaining involved for nearly three decades.

"We have raised way in the millions from the Greater Fall River Relay," LaChance said during opening remarks. She told attendees she began participating when the event started with just three people — herself, her mother and her daughter — and later took on the chair role as the fundraiser grew. LaChance said her mother, who had been a longtime participant, died four months ago and that the family was taking part in her memory.

Mayor Paul Coogan joined the gathering onstage and expressed municipal support for the event. "I support this event wholeheartedly," Coogan said, welcoming attendees to the site identified in remarks as Bishop Conley and thanking volunteers and survivors for their work.

LaChance also used her remarks to urge residents to seek preventive screening. "Please go for your preventive testing so I can retire," she said, describing part of her advocacy work for the American Cancer Society as encouraging people to obtain recommended screenings.

The ceremony included a performance of the national anthem by Abigail, LaChance's great-granddaughter, accompanied onstage by a friend. Organizers and speakers repeatedly acknowledged survivors in attendance and framed the day as both remembrance and ongoing fundraising for cancer research.

The precise total raised by the Fall River Relay for Life was not specified in the remarks; organizers characterized the cumulative fundraising as "way in the millions." No formal votes, resolutions or policy actions were discussed during the recorded remarks.