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9th Annual Relay for Life: June 14th

June 6, 2013   ·   0 Comments

For the ninth year, Alliston’s Relay for Life will once again move towards HOPE.

“HOPE”, the large, eight foot tall sign that will grace the field at 161 8th Avenue, is the keystone of the night, a night to honor cancer survivors and those affected by cancer, an event which netted, in its peak year, $246,000,  96 per cent slated for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“HOPE” caps a night of honor, a night befitting the tributes and inspiration delivered by those affected by cancer. Donations grow through individual sponsorships, with the aim being $100 per person, in a ten person team, and through the purchase of luminaries, lanterns lit with messages of hope – that shine through the memorable night.

Volunteers have contributed a web page of information, (relayforlifealliston.ca), entertainment and refreshment, enough to sustain the 12-hour night, countless hours of media, businesses and service organization, purpose being to draw together over 1,000 volunteers.

“The support we have from the town is just unbelievable,” said committee chairperson Rose Marie Bowen, overwhelmed not only by the generosity of those who give of their time, funds and talents –inspired by the survivors themselves.

“From the moment your doctor tells you you have cancer, you are a survivor,” she said. “You are alive”.

It is the survivors who walk the first lap, joined by their most important support: caregivers and drivers. The lighting of the luminaries and the moments of silence focus a strong, unified hope for a cure.

“I don’t consider it a fundraiser,” said Bowen. “It’s a time to give back…to make a difference….a community event.”

The participants gather in groups ten strong; individual registrations, which are still being taken online, are matched to an existing team. Team members decorate their tents and don costumes to enter prize winning competitions. Throughout the night, they form relays, vigilant in their purpose: there are laps to be walked, stories to be told, friendships to be made, laughter, food, and memories to be shared. Scavenger hunts, meals, and games are held for those waiting to take their place in the relay, while others sleep till they are called to action.   Generations: children, grandparents, partners and friends, all unite in strength and hope:

“People came back because they honestly love that night,” said Bowen.

One of her favorite memories recalls caring for a child who, as a cancer survivor, had joined the Relay in her baby carriage pushed by her mother. In later years that child inspired her grade school class and school to support her ongoing participation.

Others were there because the person they honored had finished life’s walk, but she had told her team, said Bowen, to “keep up the Relay.  Keep up the hope.”

Loretto resident Chris Kreme joined this year’s Relay to honor the memory of friends and family who had coped with cancer.

“I’m relaying for my beloved Oma and Tante Christa and 3 fine young men from the area that I had the pleasure of knowing through various hockey/ball hockey teams my son Michael played on; Kevin Lord (2006), Mark Trost (2009) and Paul Kokelj (2010). All great kids from loving families who were taken far too soon. They each fought their individual battles with strength, courage and dignity and we all need to try and find a cure.”

Strength, courage, and dignity are found most poignantly in the relay itself: throughout the night the dedicated volunteers offer the message of comfort and hope in a unique way, sharing in the journey of cancer.

In one of her first years as organizer, Bowen created large signs, displayed at different hours, signs which reflect the arrival of the disease, then anger, darkness, fear, followed by treatment, all signs marked by a key phrase: “We are walking with you”, and at 6 a.m., in the earliest hours of the day: “Morning light is here”…”New Beginnings”…. “New Life”… “And We walked for you”.

Such is the journey of survivors and those leaving a legacy of hope through being honored and remembered in the Relay for Life.

By Anne Ritchie

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