Hundreds of Kent residents caught “Relay Fever” last weekend, turning out in spite of chilly weather to support the cause of cancer research.
The 10th annual Relay for Life of Kent drew nearly 700 participants to French Field May 30 through 31, according to event chair Jamie Harres.
“This was, overall, a great Relay,” Harres said. “We had a lot of great new teams, and a lot of returning teams.”
The 65 registered teams, along with corporate sponsors, raised $171,657 for the American Cancer Society this year.
That number was about $50,000 shy of the original fundraising goal for this year — $225,000 — but event organizers had no complaints.
“With the way things are right now, the price of gas, I think we were all pretty happy with the way things went,” said Karee Boone, a Seattle-based community relations manager for the American Cancer Society.
The 20-hour relay started at 6 p.m. May 30, with a survivors’ lap. Approximately 80 cancer survivors, clad in purple “Survivor” T-shirts, marched around the track, escorted by Kent Police officers on motorcycles, bikes and one, Matt Lorette, walking a police dog.
Two special cancer survivors, representing the universal span of the disease, rode in seats of honor at the head of the parade.
Smiling and waving from a motorcycle sidecar, 83-year-old Lorraine White, the relay’s senior cancer survivor, acknowledged the applause from friends and supporters that followed her around the track.
Just ahead of her, riding on the lead motorcycle behind Renton Police officer Clark Wilcox sat the relay’s youngest cancer survivor: Tommy Janes, age 4 1/2. He has had cancer for less than four months. Tommy wore black sunglasses and a black helmet dotted with bright stickers.
After the survivors’ lap, caregivers took their lap of honor around the track, followed by “local heroes” — police, firefighters, military personnel and their families.
The other major event of the night was the luminaria ceremony. During the ceremony, paper bags containing lit votive candles were set out around the edge of the track. Each bore the name of a person fighting cancer, or a loved one lost to the disease. At 10 p.m., people began reading off the names from the luminaria.
“That lasted probably an hour-and-a-half to two hours, just the reading of the names,” Harres said.
Some of the more lighthearted events throughout the night included a Disco Outfit Lap in honor of this year’s theme (“Relay Fever”), squirt-gun fights, a tug-o’-war competition and a limbo contest.
Teams also continued their fundraising efforts throughout the night.
Judy Zallocco of the team Madeline’s Mauraders had a baked-goods booth set up at the edge of the track, boasting an assortment of mouthwatering homemade delicacies.
“I’ve raised about $800 from my bake sale this year,” Zallocco said at the start of the night.
Nearby, Janice Pirret showed off the cloth wallets she sewed as a fundraiser for her daughter’s high-school relay team.
The Relay for Life wrapped up at 2 p.m. Saturday.
While the big event is over, Harres said that the opportunities to give haven’t stopped. “August is the end of our fiscal year,” she said, adding that she expects the fundraising total to continue to grow till then.
Anyone interested in donating to the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life of Kent can do so by going online at www.rflkent.org.
For more information about Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org.
Contact staff writer Christine Shultz at 253-872-6600, ext. 5056, or e-mail cshultz@reporternewspapers.com.
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