Relay For Life of Belleville and Relay For Life of East St. Louis were awarded the American Cancer Society's prestigious Relay All Star.

The awards were announced recently at the society's Relay Leadership Summit in Itasca, Ill.

With the Relay All Star Award, the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society honors Relay events that achieve significant fundraising and participant growth.

The Relay For Life of Belleville also won The All American Award and The Heart of Relay Award. The All American Award honors events that have achieved excellence through growth, retention of volunteers, increased public awareness, diversity of participants and strong volunteer leadership. The Heart of Relay Award honors events that have demonstrated successful practices and innovations in supporting the society's mission and goals.

This year, Relay For Life of Belleville raised approximately $71,664 with nearly 289 participants. The Relay For Life of East St. Louis raised approximately $65,092 with nearly 421 participants.