Annual Relay for Life enjoys most successful year to date

For a fifth straight year, Yukon residents proved that hope does indeed come in many forms by taking part in Whitehorse's annual Relay for Life fundraiser on the weekend.

For a fifth straight year, Yukon residents proved that hope does indeed come in many forms by taking part in Whitehorse’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser on the weekend.

From Saturday evening right through to Sunday morning, organizers, volunteers and relay participants all showed their solidarity in raising both funds and awareness in the fight against cancer.

Well over 600 people were involved in some capacity or another to make this year’s Relay for Life possible.

“Cancer is not something we are going to beat by sprinting to the finish,” said Keri Johnston, a part time worker for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“It’s a long and slow process and we are making huge strides, huge progress every day. That’s what this relay reminds us of, is that we have made incredible progress. We have a long way to go and if we keep fighting, if we keep struggling through we are going to do it.”

Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The event began with a group of cancer survivors leading the way for the first lap around Rotary Peace Park, starting on Saturday at 7 p.m. Relay for Life is a 12 hour event, which ended at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

This year, there were 52 Whitehorse teams that helped raise more than $190,000.

The average number of individuals on a team was around 10 people.

Registration was open right up to the day of the event.

Once a team was entered into the fundraiser they had to have at least one member on the track for the entire 12 hour event.

The goal was to have each team in continuous motion for the entire duration of the fundraiser and individual members were free to walk as long as they wanted in order to achieve this.

Another special feature about the Relay for Life fundraiser is the silent luminary lap, which was held at midnight. Luminaries are a special dedication and a promise of remembrance that are given to individuals lost to cancer.

They also can be for people who are currently fighting with the disease.

A luminary is a paper bag with a little bit of sand as well as a candle in it. 

This year there were approximately 700 luminaries, which lined the track, including ones on the hill by the bridge that spelt out the word “HOPE.”

Volunteers and participants had to deal with frigid temperatures early Sunday morning, but despite the cold weather, windy conditions and the snow, many of the luminaries were still burning when they were collected at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.

A new part of the 2008 Relay for Life was the survivor/caregiver reception, which featured around 60 survivors and caregivers.

The youngest was Ilja Sawatzky, who is three and a half years old. Sawatzky has been cancer-free for nine months.

This year also witnessed the first school relay in B.C. or the Yukon.

The event was held at Christ the King Elementary School and it featured around 300 students. Students helped raise more than $16,000 at this event.

Dawson City also held its own Relay for Life about two weeks ago.

The community of Dawson raised nearly $59,000, which brought the total amount of funds generated in the Yukon to approximately $250,000.

This is the highest amount of money that has ever been raised for this fundraiser in the territory.

Lesley Cabott is a member of the steering committee that helped host Whitehorse’s Relay for Life and has been involved with the event since its inaugural year.

Cabott was a part of a group of volunteers that began at 10 a.m. on Saturday and worked until 8 a.m. on Sunday.

She said the community is a great supporter of this event.

“I think when we started our goal five years ago was $70,000,” Cabott said. “So the town, Whitehorse, the Yukon is a fantastic giver in this fight against cancer.”

Cabott said the Relay for Life fundraiser is a very emotional event.

“It’s wonderful to see when we start off the relay at 7 p.m. the number of survivors that walk the track,” she said.

“So that’s fantastic that there are so many survivors, but then it’s also sad to see that there is so many luminaries too of people we have lost to cancer.

So there is mixed feeling throughout the evening.”

Joanie Pelletier, 24, has been involved with Whitehorse’s Relay for Life fundraiser for the past two years.

In 2007, she was on a team who walked in support and this year Pelletier chose to volunteer her time to help out with the running of the event.

She said she chose to volunteer this year because the event is a great way to show the community’s support for the number of people suffering from the disease.

Pelletier, who has been living in Whitehorse for two years now, said it’s important to hold this event on an annual basis.

“We are a small community,” she said. “It’s easy to reach people who are in need and who need to feel the support. I think we are so far from everything that knowing that your whole town is with you, behind you fighting cancer, I think it’s pretty good.”

Pelletier said she plans on taking part in next year’s Relay for Life event and is considering doing the walk as well as helping out as a volunteer.