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Relay for Life has ‘perfect day’
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| Tyler Hefel finds the luminary for Maggie Moser, whose daughter was Tyler’s babysitter. Another example that cancer can strike all ages in all kinds of ways, and that almost everyone has known someone who has died from cancer. |
By Deb Kunkle
OELWEIN – Blue skies were dotted with popcorn clouds Saturday as the annual Fayette County Relay for Life walk-a-thon was held in Husky Stadium.
Twenty-three teams participated in the daylong fund-raiser for cancer patients and research.
One of the organizers for the event, Paula Reyerson, remarked walkers couldn't have had a more perfect day.
"It was a gorgeous day, the weather was perfect, and the wind died down by evening for the lighting of luminaries. The track was great and we raised more than $32,000. That's a pretty good day's work," she said of the all-volunteer event.
The relay was held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event began with the presentation of the colors and flag raising by the Oelwein American Legion Color Guard. Ninety-seven cancer survivors took to the track for the first lap to kick-off the relay.
It's always an emotional start for the relay when the survivors take the first lap amid cheers from the teammates camped around the track and in the bleachers.
"We got off to a good start," said Pat Stohr, chairman of the survivors' committee and herself a cancer survivor. "Everything went very smoothly and Kevin Minton really was our angel for the day, helping to transport the luminaries out to the field for the volunteers. He made everything so much easier."
Throughout the day special hourly laps created a celebrating atmosphere as participants marched along to the patriotic hour and support your soldier theme of red, white and blue. The police and firefighters' team called "Pigs and Hoses" distributed American flags, which were very popular throughout the day.
Each hour a new theme was announced, including luau or Hawaiian hour, rival or pro teams hour, Mardi Gras hour, snack laps (everyone's favorite), weird hair hour, backwards hour, wacky hat hour, couple's laps, and "show your glow" for families of cancer patients where sporting glow necklaces was very popular.
A variety of music was played throughout the day courtesy of Paul Buhr and daughter Tiffany. G-Zone hosted the concession stand.
As darkness closed in at the stadium, luminaries were lighted creating a flickering unified ring measuring the entire 400 meters around the track. Approximately 1,100 luminaries were lit in honor and memory of cancer-stricken loved ones. Then stadium lights were extinguished and relay participants walked in darkness with the glowing white bags lighting the path, as Pastor Charis Combs-Lay from Zion Lutheran Church and Denise Lindemann, Mercy Hospital chaplain, solemnly read the names memorialized on each luminary.
A tired yet happy Reyerson said volunteers couldn't have asked for a better day.
"Every years it's a lot of hard work, but when you know it's for a good cause, it's not work at all. Everyone did his or her part. It was a whole team effort. Without everyone's help, this whole thing wouldn't happen," she said.
Twenty-three teams participated in the daylong fund-raiser for cancer patients and research.
One of the organizers for the event, Paula Reyerson, remarked walkers couldn't have had a more perfect day.
"It was a gorgeous day, the weather was perfect, and the wind died down by evening for the lighting of luminaries. The track was great and we raised more than $32,000. That's a pretty good day's work," she said of the all-volunteer event.
The relay was held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event began with the presentation of the colors and flag raising by the Oelwein American Legion Color Guard. Ninety-seven cancer survivors took to the track for the first lap to kick-off the relay.
It's always an emotional start for the relay when the survivors take the first lap amid cheers from the teammates camped around the track and in the bleachers.
"We got off to a good start," said Pat Stohr, chairman of the survivors' committee and herself a cancer survivor. "Everything went very smoothly and Kevin Minton really was our angel for the day, helping to transport the luminaries out to the field for the volunteers. He made everything so much easier."
Throughout the day special hourly laps created a celebrating atmosphere as participants marched along to the patriotic hour and support your soldier theme of red, white and blue. The police and firefighters' team called "Pigs and Hoses" distributed American flags, which were very popular throughout the day.
Each hour a new theme was announced, including luau or Hawaiian hour, rival or pro teams hour, Mardi Gras hour, snack laps (everyone's favorite), weird hair hour, backwards hour, wacky hat hour, couple's laps, and "show your glow" for families of cancer patients where sporting glow necklaces was very popular.
A variety of music was played throughout the day courtesy of Paul Buhr and daughter Tiffany. G-Zone hosted the concession stand.
As darkness closed in at the stadium, luminaries were lighted creating a flickering unified ring measuring the entire 400 meters around the track. Approximately 1,100 luminaries were lit in honor and memory of cancer-stricken loved ones. Then stadium lights were extinguished and relay participants walked in darkness with the glowing white bags lighting the path, as Pastor Charis Combs-Lay from Zion Lutheran Church and Denise Lindemann, Mercy Hospital chaplain, solemnly read the names memorialized on each luminary.
A tired yet happy Reyerson said volunteers couldn't have asked for a better day.
"Every years it's a lot of hard work, but when you know it's for a good cause, it's not work at all. Everyone did his or her part. It was a whole team effort. Without everyone's help, this whole thing wouldn't happen," she said.
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Meggan Judd wrote on Jul 2, 2008 9:20 AM: