Monday, June 7, 2010

Relay for Life - epilogue

What a great event to be involved in!  I decided to stay up for the full 24 hours so I could witness everything that happened - including dance party with techno music at 3:00 AM.  We lucked out on Saturday and had some much appreciated sunshine, but the rains came just before the end at about 5:15 AM.  I would like to give a special Thank You to our tireless leaders Mary Ann Tasker Thompson and Cheryl Palm.  They were so prepared and had so many great fund raisers ready to go that the rest of us just needed to be there and do our thing.  (Plus more food than we could possibly eat!).

Each team had a country they were representing, and we were New Zealand - land of the Kiwis.  I think the best fund raiser was the lap beads.  Anyone could buy one bead and a cord, and then pick up a new bead for free at the end of each lap they walked.  That way they have a physical reminder of the day and a count of how many laps they were able to get finished.  We were swamped all day (and night) with people picking up their beads and by the end were friends with them as we saw them so many times.  One woman had taken over as captain of their team as they had recently lost their captain to cancer - and I don't know for sure, but she must have reached 20 miles or more.  And one cute little boy who just raced around proudly declared at one point he had just finished his 21th lap!

Luminaria in honor of and in memory of those who experience cancer

That is the kind of thing we do this for...friends, family, babies, and old timers who have been stricken with cancer.  Not all of them survive, so someone else takes up the torch and carries on for them.  I know I'll be back next year - knees willing.

Onsies for the babies and hand crocheted pink ribbons

Sunset over the Relay for Life 06-05-2010

See you all next year - God Willing


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