The American Cancer Society Relay for Life, held Friday at Emporia High School, raised $58,000, well short of the group’s goal of $80,000.
Still, organizers said the event was a huge success.
Thirty-five teams took part in this year’s Relay. The number of teams was down from last year, when more than $70,000 was raised.
But the money raised Friday by each individual team wasn’t lower than last year.
“If you take the total that you raised compared to the teams, it was fabulous,” said Tara Dold, a Relay organizer. “We had fewer teams and raised a little less money, but overall, each team did phenomenal ... they raised more money individually than we ever had.”
The top fundraising teams were Heins and Company, $6,620; Donna Russell’s Family Circus, $5,137; St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, $4,774; Kathy Clown’s Fighting Cancer, $3,656; Tyson Cancer Crusaders, $3,106; Chi Omega, $2,971; Dold family, Clowns for a Cure, $1,932; and Sisters of the Heart, $1,777.
Several events took place Friday evening into Saturday, including placing luminaries — candles in paper bags — around the track representing survivors or in memory of those who had died of cancer.
“The track was just covered with luminaries,” Said Kathy Salts of the Relay. “They were so pretty.”
A dinner for cancer survivors was donated by Sodexho at Emporia State University. It was served under a tent that was donated and put up by the National Guard, Dold said.
Many volunteers helped make the event a success, Dold said, adding that there were tons of volunteers from ESU and Flint Hills Technical College, Boy Scout troops and Emporia High School.
“Those four groups really stood out as far as volunteering and helping out,” she said.
The Relay is still taking donations and will continue to raise funds until December. Anyone wishing to donate can contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.
jewely33 (anonymous) says...
It is not too late to make a donation to the Relay for Life. The local committee will be collecting donations until the end of this year. It was a wonderful event and the weather cooperated nicely.
September 10, 2007 at 7:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )