Relay call: Come spend some time tonight fighting cancer with your neighbors

There are many wonderful aspects of the annual Relay for Life events in Wayne County.

First off, it is a chance for thousands of county residents to gather together to fight a common enemy -- and to have fun doing it.

If you have never been, you cannot imagine the fellowship and the fun these teams have raising money, decorating their booths and making the event a success. It has the atmosphere of a festival -- and there are no strangers at this event. Everyone knows why they are there and what the stakes are in the battle they are waging. They know they are in this together.

The Relay for Life raises millions of dollars for cancer research each year -- and Wayne County's effort is a big part of that.

It is why this gathering matters and why it is so important that this community continues to join hands to fight this enemy.

You never know which dollar will be the one that allows scientists to find the cure.

So while the atmosphere will be that of a party tonight, there will be a somber side, too. The luminary ceremony and the Survivors' Lap remind those who gather each year that they are there for a purpose -- to raise the money that hopefully, one day, will mean there will be no more need for Relays.

It is impossible to feel anything but admiration when you hear the stories of those who have survived cancer, and impossible not to shed a tear when you hear about someone who lost his or her battle. Those who will gather tonight and tomorrow do so for them.

So gather up the family tonight and head on down to Relay for dinner. You will not just have a good time, you will help do some good, too.

Published in Editorials on May 20, 2011 11:04 AM