Karaoke for a Cure Raises Nearly $2,000

Editor's note: The following article and attached photos were submitted by Karen Healey.

Imagine a room filled with 100 people, most of whom do not know each other, yet they are cheering each other on, dancing together, and singing together, and having the time of their lives. This is what you would have found had you attended the Greater Milford Relay for Life’s pre-relay event, , held at r, on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The event started at 7 p.m. and very quickly; a number of people had put in requests to sing. Even people who would not normally sing in public (myself included) found themselves on stage entertaining the crowd. The energy and camaraderie in the room was tremendous and everybody who took the stage was cheered on by the audience. This was not your normal Karaoke night where the lesser talented singers were just listened to politely. This night, everybody was a star!

Ray Auger, who emceed the event, put Milford Public School Superintendent Robert (Bob) Tremblay on the spot by claiming Bob would only sing if a certain amount of money was contributed to a basket placed on stage. Of course, a select few knew that Bob actually wanted to sing and really didn’t need to be paid, but more than $70 was raised and contributed to the benefit. This spurred Ray to decide that he would sell Bob’s singing talents for an even larger amount. Ray took the stage again and informed everyone that he wanted to try for $100 this time and if someone chipped in $50, they could choose the song for Bob! A short while later, after $230 was raised, Bob found himself on stage singing the song, “I Feel Pretty,” to the audience’s great amusement and appreciation.

The motto for the Relay for Life is “Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back.” Karaoke for a Cure was indeed a celebration of the achievements made by the American Cancer Society and of the lives saved.  Quiet discussions occurred as folks remembered those they had lost, for everybody in the audience had been touched by cancer in some way. Together, as a group of 100 people, we raised almost $2,000, all to be donated to the American Cancer Society, as we fought back against this terrible disease in hopes of finding a cure. As individuals, many feel powerless against cancer, but united we can make a difference, which is what this event and the Relay for Life is all about.

The 13th annual will be held on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14. Last year, the event raised more than $130,000 for the American Cancer Society and we hope to surpass that amount this year. If you would like to participate in this year’s Relay, please visit our website to find out more information:  www.relayforlife.org/milfordma or attend our next atat 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3.

The Relay committee would like to thank WMRC as our media sponsor, Ray Auger for emceeing, Scioli’s Pizza Bar for providing the function room for the event and the following individuals and businesses for their contributions to the prize raffles:

Pricilla Compton

Ellen Anziano

Susan Harvey

Sage Marianne

Hummingbird Holistic Center and Spa, Uxbridge MA

, Milford MA

Tender Touch Massage & Holistic Therapy, Blackstone MA

, Milford MA

, Milford MA

, Milford MA

, Milford MA

Bugaboo Creek, Milford MA

, Milford MA

Panera, Milford MA

Valley Café, Whitinsville MA

Music, Movement and More, Holliston MA