Walking with a PURPOSE

Relay For Life raises funds to

fight cancer

Caldwell County will continue to do its part to help fight cancer when it hosts the annual Relay For Life event.

The event, always drawing a large turnout of supporters, is scheduled for Friday, May 16 at West Caldwell High School's Thuss Stadium. The Relay begins at 6 p.m. and will last until 8 a.m. Saturday.

The purpose of Relay For Life is to raise money to fund research efforts to find a cure for cancer, which comes in many forms and affects people from all walks of life.

Funds raised during Relay For Life events help the American Cancer Society in its fight against the dreaded disease.

The format of the event is simple. Teams of people take turns walking or running the track at the site of the event. A representative of the teams participating is on the track at all times during the 14-hour overnight event, which brings together communities to learn about cancer and raise funds to continue the fight against it.

Caldwell County's Relay For Life event raised more than $40,000 last year, a pretty good total considering the county's economic hardships. The 2006 total was about $55,000, down from $70,000 in 2005 and $90,000 in 2004.

Trish Bradshaw and Tracey Vines are co-chairing Relay For Life again, and both say they would like to see more people turn out for the event.

“I'd like to see more participation, more people getting involved,” Bradshaw said. “I know the economy is bad, but people still can come out just for the fellowship and recognition of people who have dealt with cancer.”

Vines added, “We do need more participation, but that could be hard with the economy and gas prices being what they are. But this is for a good cause. Any amount people want to give for this cause will add up.”

Following an opening ceremony that features the National Anthem being sung by Megan Moffitt, a West Caldwell student whose grandmother is a cancer survivor, the first lap of the event will be for cancer survivors, followed by a lap dedicated to caregivers. The third lap will be a team lap for all teams that will be walking through the night, with the overall event starting up by the fourth lap.

Around nightfall, a moment of silence will be observed when the luminaries are lit in honor of those victims of cancer and those who survived the disease.

Luminaries are available for purchase at a cost of $10 each.

Concessions, including Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, homemade soups, cheesecakes, cakes, pies, popcorn, ice cream and drinks will be available throughout the night, and music will be provided as walkers make their way around the track. The DJ will take requests for $1.

Other activities scheduled include a cake walk, a hula hoop contest, a bubble gum blowing contest and a womanless beauty contest (men dress as women and beg for money).

There also will be an opportunity for people to help “bash” cancer. They can do so by paying a fee to take a turn bashing a car with a sledgehammer, always a popular event.

Proceeds from the event will be used in the never-ceasing fight against cancer.

“For me, now, it's more important than ever,” said Vines, who lost her husband Darrell to cancer almost 14 months ago. “It's important now more than ever that we try to raise money to fund the research so we can find a cure. We need it.”

Bradshaw also said the Relay For Life event is a way to let cancer survivors and families of cancer victims know they are thought of and not forgotten.

“It's about coming out to remember those who are not with us and honoring those who are survivors,” she said.

To make donations, purchase luminaries, be part of a team, provide corporate sponsorship or for additional information, contact Trish Bradshaw at 828-728-7659, Tracey Vines at 828-754-9909 or Jason Abernathy at 828-244-1011.

For more information about cancer, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or go to the Web site www.cancer.org. For information about Relay For Life, check out www.relayforlife.org on the Web.

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