YARMOUTH, N.S. —
The Yarmouth Relay for Life in support of the Canadian Cancer Society was held at the Mariners Centre on Saturday, June 22.
Ten teams took part in the event, which raised $43,141, with more money to be added to this total, including money raised at a recent relay event in Lockeport that saw $18,374 raised.
The top fundraising team at the Yarmouth relay was Team Tante Tan which raised $10,336. The team sold the most luminaries ($1,380 worth) and won the Team Spirit Award. Team member Velma Surette had the highest individual luminary sales total at $505. (Individual luminaries sell for $5.)
The second-place top fundraising team was Bridging the Gap, which raised $5,157.95. The third-place team was Cancer Crushers, which raised $4,264.
Hank Merchant from the team Arthur's Angels was once again the top individual fundraiser, having raised $3,635.05.
The event included a reception/meal for cancer survivors and warriors. There were survivors/warriors, caregiver and walk of honour laps. The warrior t-shirts signify people who are stage 4 in their cancer diagnosis but continue to battle the disease. There were also various themed laps for the teams to take part in, along with fundraising activities throughout the event and entertainment. A luminaries ceremony – in memory of people who have died from cancer and in honour of those battling and/or who have survived cancer – was also part of the relay’s moments.
This year’s community ambassador was Charlene Wilcox, who spoke about her mother Sandy Dennis, who died from cancer earlier this year. In talking about her mother's never-ending commitment to her family and her community – both before and during her cancer – Wilcox said she wanted people to remember and focus on how her mother lived, rather than how she died.
