Relay for Life leaders prepare for weekend
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on May 17, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Ashley Woodard discusses some of the last-minute entertainment changes to the Relay for Life schedule during an event meeting Monday night at Wayne Memorial Hospital. In addition to a full lineup of entertainment, every 30 minutes to an hour there will be special theme laps.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Brenda Robinson discusses what needs to be done before Friday's event during a Relay for Life meeting on Monday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Relay for Life organizers meet to discuss final preparations for Friday night's event. Paperwork and schedule changes are only two of the things that have to be done with the walk only days away.
Ashley Woodard became inspired to become a part of Relay for Life after watching the struggles and triumphs of friends and loved ones battling cancer.
Her initial exposure at a planning meeting several years ago eventually led her to become one of this year's event leaders.
"I just fell in love with the people," Woodard said of the large-scale fundraising event in Wayne County. "I've had a passion for it ever since."
Relay for Life of Wayne County starts at 2 p.m. Friday and continues through 10 a.m. Saturday with closing ceremonies at the Wayne County Fairgrounds off U.S. 117.
Teams will start setting up on Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday morning. Relay teams can still sign up and volunteers are needed.
"It's not too late," said Paula Cox, Relay for Life event lead. "We still have some campsites that are open. Our hope is just to paint our world purple, paint the county purple and encourage people to have hope that there's a cure and to come out to remember, celebrate and fight back."
Fifty-six of the 57 teams have raised more than $162,000 out of this year's fundraising goal of $285,000. Last year, more than $250,000 was raised, said Brenda Robinson, community manager for the American Cancer Society in Wayne County.
The relay will include teams taking laps around the fairground track every 30 minutes. The opening ceremony starts at 6 p.m. with honorary chairs, representing survivors and caregivers, speaking. The survivors lap starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by a caregivers lap, both will be led by the drumline from A Drummer's World and the lighting of the flame of hope.
"The biggest thing about the ceremony is the lighting of the flame of hope," said Woodard. "The biggest thing about relay is hope."
A luminaria ceremony is planned at 9 p.m.
The quiet ceremony will be held in between the relay laps.
Also on Friday night, special tributes are planned for longtime volunteers and Relay for Life leaders Sue Hill and Hilda Hill, both of whom died during the past year.
"They were both survivors," Robinson said. "They were leaders who worked hard, and they were good volunteers. They will be missed."
Close to 250 survivors are registered to participate this year, and organizers anticipate close to 1,100 people overall to attend.
The final relay lap, at 9 a.m. Saturday, will be the kids lap, with 50 children already planning to participate. Children plan to wear T-shirts with the winning art from this year's Relay for Life art contest, held at Wayne County elementary schools. The kids lap is also open to children who have not registered prior to the event. The closing ceremony is at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Relay for Life will include a variety of teams that will sell food and other items, with all the profits going to the American Cancer Society. In addition to food, T-shirts, raffles, drawings, face painting and glow items will be available. Raffle items include a 43-inch TV and a new car, which is being donated by Sonic Automotive in Charlotte with ticket sales also benefiting the American Cancer Society.
Anyone interested in participating in Relay for Life this year can contact Robinson at 344-8999 or Woodard at 252-7104.
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is the world's largest fundraising effort in the battle against cancer and provides funding to improve cancer survival and the quality of life for cancer patients and caregivers.