Walking in the “Relay for Life”

Today was the annual Relay for Life event in Western Lake County. A group from our church, calling themselves Team B.A.R.B., has been a presence at Relay for 10 years in honor of their friend Barb who lost her battle to cancer before she was 50 years old. The goal of the many teams who participate in Relay is to raise money for cancer research, and today the “track” at North High School was crowded with people, young and old, eager to do their part in the fight to eradicate the scourge of cancer.

After the formal opening events, a group of cancer survivors took to the track for the first lap, known as the “survivor’s lap.” Following that first honorary lap, everyone is invited to step out onto the track and take their turn walking laps. Relay lasts 12 hours, from noon until midnight, and someone from each team is required to be walking the track at all times. A special luminaria lighting event when dusk falls recognizes those in whose honor the luminarias were purchased, and funds from those purchases go to cancer research. Relay for Life is a battle against cancer, and like any battle, the intent is to fight a good fight and eventually to win. However, there is a fun side to Relay also, with games, contests, costumes, food, entertainment, and other festivities. It is a family event for children of all ages. Take a look at the picture gallery to see what I mean:

Families

Mother & daughter

Prizes & raffles

Each team has a tent.

Barb Schneider

George, a survivor who lives large!

Families

Purple people eater contestant

Selecting the winner.

Chick-fil-A was an event sponsor.

One of the team stands

Entertainment

Eat Mor Chicken

Karen’s beautiful smile represents the spirit of Relay for Life.

That’s Relay here in western Lake County, Ohio. If there is a Relay event in your community, I hope you will find a way to support it, so we can win the battle against cancer.

Thanks for walking the track (instead of the trail) with me today!
Carolyn aka Skip