Campfire songs, costumes and a moving luminary ceremony kept participants walking for 12 hours in support of cancer research at Roberts Creek Elementary School last weekend.
Thirty-two teams collected more than $86,000 during the Relay For Life event in the Creek, bringing the event's total revenue to more than $111,726, nearly the same amount raised in all of Vancouver.
"It was a wildly successful event," said organizer Teresa Nightingale, who noted the event raised much more than the targeted $86,000 she had hoped for.
Relay For Life is an annual event throughout B.C. that has participants walk or run during a 12-hour period to raise money to fight cancer. Money raised goes to cancer research, and participants get a chance to come together to share stories, support one another, give each other hope and recognize people who have won their battle with cancer. It also helps give people who have lost loved ones to cancer and are dealing with the pain of the loss an outlet to do something about it.
"I lost my mother to cancer three years ago. The feeling of helplessness, watching her suffer and the little I could do to help her remains with me to this day. Last Saturday evening I felt I was doing something, if not to help my mother, then for someone just as special. It was powerful and very healing. Sharing this experience with my daughter, who also witnessed my mother's decline, was especially special," said Denise Quarry, one of the participants at the relay.
Nightingale says this is a common feeling of people at the event and notes the luminary ceremony is particularly special for people who are hurting from the loss of a loved one.
"The luminary ceremony is everyone's favourite. It's something you don't get at other events. People make the luminaries and put names on them. They could be names of a loved one lost to cancer, someone fighting it or someone who has beaten cancer. The luminaries are placed around the track and as people walk past them they look at the names on the bags. It evokes a combination of feelings, some sad and some hopeful," said Nightingale.
In Roberts Creek, the luminary ceremony was done at dusk. More than 500 luminaries were lit and placed around the track. Participants then walked the route holding candles while the sound of bagpipes echoed through the Creek.
"It was very powerful and the luminaries outlined the track all night long to guide the walkers and runners," said Nightingale.
The event ran from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. Participants camped out in the field of the school creating a "tent city."
Some teams wore costumes. Team Udderly Outrageous dressed like cows, and team Hags in Drag wore brightly coloured gowns and cat's-eye glasses from the 1950s era.
Moms brought their babies and camped out overnight, teens huddled in tents awaiting their turn on the track, and some danced to tunes from local musicians keeping spirits high throughout the event.
Nightingale said many came out to the campfire sing-a-long during the evening hours. There was plenty of hot chocolate and coffee keeping participants warm and ready to take their turn on the track.
One odd moment marked the event during the night, when the school's automatic sprinkler system came on.
"Sprinkler heads reared up right in the midst of tent city, underneath some tents," said Nightingale.
Volunteers quickly shut off the system, but not before a few people got wet.
Wet described the beginning of the event when, Nightingale said, "more than a little liquid sunshine came down."
But the rain didn't deter the cancer survivors from their victory lap before the relay began.
Sixty cancer survivors walked proudly around the track after an honour song and prayer were said by the Klye-Kwim drummers. Other participants lined the track and cheered survivors on before falling in behind them in support.
Then the relay started, as did the activities for people who weren't taking their turn walking or running.
There was a children's craft table, face painting, drumming classes, table tennis, foosball, mini hockey, board games, a putting course, bean bag toss and ring toss. There was also a place to donate hair to make wigs and a relaxing foot bath station.
Nightingale said the event had something for everyone, and all left with a feeling of hope and a sense they are not alone in their fight against cancer.
"I think our event is special because we are all so close here on the Coast, not like in bigger cities like Vancouver. People who come out to the event know at least half the people there, and that gives it a really close feeling. "People aren't afraid to show their feelings, tell their stories and give support to one another. They just all come together for a common cause, to fight cancer, and we're winning," said Nightingale.
