“What we want people in Astoria to know is that Relay and ACS hasn’t gone anywhere,” Messner said. “We had a huge staff transition this year, but we’re still super committed to Queens.”
He emphasized his personal commitment to reestablishing a Relay for Life event in Astoria by saying, “I live in Astoria now, and I want to Relay in my own neighborhood.”
“We want to have an event next year, but when we didn’t have a committee to run the event, we had to take a year off,” he added. “That’s all it is, just a year off.”
Messner also said that anyone interested in having an unofficial Relay for Life event in Astoria Park on June 21 should contact his office.
“We still have a permit, so if anyone is interested, we could do a Luminaria ceremony. If they end up doing anything then we will obviously be there to support that,” Messner said. “It’s not going to be a full-blown Relay. It’ll be more like a picnic, but it will be a chance to remember the ones we’ve lost. I think that’s what the people of Astoria want is to have the support that comes along with Relay.”