It may seem like a long time off, but the Columbia Valley Relay for Life is in fact, just three months away.
This year, will be our 10th anniversary, so we want to make it a special one. You do not have to be a family or friend of someone who has had cancer, in order to participate in Relay. Come out, join us, and help raise research funds so they can find cures for the over 200 kinds of cancer — before it affects you or loved ones.
The dedicated committee has made a number of changes for this, our tenth Relay. The first thing is that we are starting earlier in the day. Our NEW 3 p.m. start will enable people with children, or those not able to spend the night, to participate in Relay.
Entertainment chair Cindy MacKay, with the help of her fellow Killer Rollbots, has already been planning a bunch of games and activities to keep everyone occupied when not walking on the track. Cindy is also looking for entertainers for the event, so if you have a musical act, stop by and see her at East Kootenay Realty in downtown Invermere.
As well, she is hoping for another great turnout for the head shave. Anyone with at least six inches of hair can have it shaved or cut off and sent to the Canadian Cancer Society to make a wig for a patient suffering the side effects of chemo. Individuals are encouraged to get pledges for the head shave. You must pre-register with Cindy.
There are a lot of teams out there who have not participated in the past couple of years, and we would like to invite you all back this year. Let’s make our 10th anniversary a record breaker.
Survivor chair Terri Lightfoot will be welcoming all survivors and their caregivers to join in the Survivors’ Victory Lap, and then to socialize after in the Survivors’ Tent where you will enjoy beverages and snacks.
If you are a survivor, and are not on our list, please make sure that Terri knows who you are. You can contact her via email at terri.lightfoot@kscu.com or by phone at 250-342-9541. The more yellow shirts we see at Relay, the better it is. It shows everyone that cancer can be beaten, and we have done it. Please also register online at relaybc.ca
The power point presentation that plays during the Luminary Ceremony features people who have had cancer. If you are a cancer survivor and are not included in this presentation, or have a loved ones who is no longer with us, I invite you to send a photo and something about yourself to me at sheilatutty@telus.net and I would be happy to include you.
Also new this year is a dynamic group of students — Sawyer Ellingboe, Caoimhe Anderson and Julia Stiz — who will be organizing the ‘after midnight’ crowd. There will be lots of activities for those wishing to stay all night. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
Keep in mind, this is not a school-sanctioned event, so any team staying all night must have at least one adult on site for the entire time.
We are always looking for volunteers, so if you want to donate some time to us, please give me a call.
The Kick Off Party is at the Copper Point Golf Course on Thursday, April 12. This fun filled event is an opportunity to help us kick off our Relay in style. You will enjoy fabulous hors d’oeuvres, bid on auction items, and visit with your neighbours. It is open to people of all ages.
We still have an ice fishing shack which we will be auctioning off this night, as well as many wonderful items, including a quilt made by yours truly. If you wish to donate an item(s) to the auction, we would be happy to accept them. Call me at 250-342-9059 for details.