Cloudy skies and intermittent showers didn’t discourage crowds from participating in the Relay for Life at Trail’s Gyro Park on Saturday.
The annual event attracted a total of 23 teams and managed to raise over $65,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society to contribute towards cancer research.
“We had over 200 participants and that was more than last year, said Stacey Cassidy, coordinator for Community Giving for the Cancer Society. “The new location was fantastic and we got positive feedback from lots of people. There are a few tweaks to keep in mind for next year but that comes with any changes”
Salmo’s Team Yolo won awards as a “rising star” for managing to raise over $2,500 as well as for having the best decorated tent at the event.
“We asked a lot of people for donations and had a “Crush Cancer” fundraiser where people could donate money and crush a car with a sledgehammer,” said Mandy Huser, the team captain. “We did it last year and wanted to come again to get a better feel for it and show that Salmo cares.”
As with many of the event’s participants, the members of Team Yolo have a personal connection that helped to motivate them to come out for the relay.
“One of our members Mom had cancer and passed away when we were young,” said Huser. “It affected our whole community. We do it for her.”
The 12-hour yearly event encourages participants to celebrate the survivors of cancer, remember loved ones who have been lost to the disease, and fight back against cancer with better living and fundraising activities such as the relay.
“We met and exceeded our fundraising goal,” said Cassidy. “We’d just like to give thanks to all the teams and volunteers as well as our wonderful sponsors. We couldn’t do it without them.”