All ages enjoyed flying their kites on the windy Coopers Beach.

Southampton - What threatened to be a stormy day proved perfect for kite flying, much to the delight of the organizers of the third annual "Kites for a Cure," held on Southampton's Coopers Beach, Saturday, May 23. The festive, family event raises funds and awareness for lung cancer research through the Uniting Against Lung Cancer organization.

"For a weekend that was iffy, it turned out to be a beautiful weekend," Uniting Against Lung Cancer Board member Roxanne Donovan offered as she surveyed the crowds of kite-flyers. "We are spreading the seeds of [cancer] research in a hopeful, beautiful way."

For $25, families from all over the East End could participate in the event, after receiving and decorating their kites, many of which were flying memorials to lost loved ones or those struggling with cancer. Donovan estimated that approximately 700 participants arrived to the beach within the first hour of the event, while approximately 1,000 participants in total joined in the festivities last year. She added that this year, there were "many more kites in the air."

"I think we're bulletproof as far as the recession goes," Donovan asserted with a laugh. "We are also trying to create something hopeful and family-oriented out of something so sad."

The Uniting Against Lung Cancer organization, which was founded as "Joan's Legacy", began in 2001 in memory of Donovan's sister-in-law, Joan Scarangello. As Donovan tells it, Scarangello was a non-smoker who died of lung cancer at the age of 47. Uniting Against Lung Cancer has become "the venture capital of cancer research" Donovan said, contributing approximately $5 million in research funding since it's inception.

"We are the early layer," she added. "It's money that lets people test ideas."

Pictured left to right, Live! With Regis and Kelly Executive Producer Michael Gelman and his daughter Mischa, Dan Berg, Alex Berg, and Nancy Frigand

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer among women in the United States, killing more women than breast, uterine and ovarian cancer combined. In general, lung cancer will kill more Americans this year than colon, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers combined. However, research for lung cancer receives less funding per death than the other well-known cancers.

Just the right amount of wind kept kites afloat in the air, despite warnings of storms for Saturday.

To learn more about Uniting Against Lung Cancer, call 212-627-5500, or visit www.UnitingAgainstLungCancer.org.


For A Video of this Event, Visit The Following Link

Kites for a Cure Sees Successful 3rd Season Launch