Goal achieved: Community proved again that it has its priorities straight

It has not been the kind of year for a success story.

So, when the committee charged with planning this year's Relay for Life set its goal, it was with fingers crossed that residents would respond.

After all, budgets and belts were tighter.

And there were some setbacks. Some people simply couldn't be there with as much support as they usually were. It was just a bad year for everyone.

But that challenge was not enough to slow down this county's Relay for Life teams -- no way.

So, the teams asked their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers to join them in the battle against cancer. They sold items all year and conducted all sorts of fundraisers.

And on Relay for Life day, they donned their outfits, decorated their booths and proved once again that when you understand what you are fighting for, it is very easy to end up winning the battle.

If you were there, you felt the spirit in the air. And if you watched the Survivors Lap or wandered around the hundreds of luminaria arranged around the track that night, you understood that this was not about competitions or who had the best booth or most money raised.

It was about those who have struggled, are struggling or who have lost their battles with cancer.

So because of Wayne County, there will be $512,965 more dollars in the fund for cancer research. And who knows, perhaps one of those dollars just might be the one that funds the research that finds the cure.

And until there is a cure, it is certain that every year, in Wayne County, at least, there will be a Relay. That is just how we roll -- and why Wayne County rocks.

Published in Editorials on June 24, 2011 11:07 AM