CHESTERMERE – With two successful “Relay for Life” events held in Chestermere, organizers are looking forward to another memorable event this summer.
The third annual 12-hour walk will take place on June 22 at the Chestermere Recreation Centre. Organizers are hoping to add over $100,000 to their fundraising total of around $210,000 from previous years.
Colleen Corbeill, event co-organizer for the Chestermere Relay for Life, said that she can’t believe it’s almost time for another relay, and that she hopes everyone gets into the spirit for another year.
“We’ve already got 10 teams registered and they are all excited,” she said. “We hope to get 22 teams this year, so around 220 participants.”
Corbeill said that they also hope to get 50 cancer survivors to participate, especially because they are changing the feel of the relay this year to really celebrate the survivors.
“We’ve decided to try something new and go with a theme this year, so relay is going Hollywood style,” she said. “The survivor reception will be more of a red carpet, cocktail party thing this year to make our survivors feel like stars.
“A lot of the teams have their own themes, so we’re not telling them to switch it up and go with the theme because we want everyone to have a good time doing it the way they want to, but for anyone who needs some inspiration, we’re hinting towards the Hollywood theme.”
Corbeill said that they’re “going Hollywood” to change up the atmosphere and give the relay more of a party feel.
“The survivor’s lap and the reflection time will still be very serious, because cancer is obviously a serious subject, but we want the rest of the relay to be something where friends and family can come together and have a good time together,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve done a big theme so we will see how it goes.”
Corbeill said that teams typically consists of between 10 and 15 people, but those numbers can be adjusted to accommodate certain teams if necessary. She said that survivors can either take part as a member of a team, or they can just come for the survivors walk at the start of the relay to help kick things off.
The Relay for Life is a major fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, and is held across the country in hundreds of communities. Participants form teams to raise money for all kinds of cancer research, and take part in the all-night non-competitive relay. It runs from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following morning, with dinner and breakfast provided. It is open to participants of all ages, and there is no minimum donation amount required.
The relay is design to raise much-needed funds for the Canadian Cancer Society, and it helps to educate people and raise awareness about cancer.
To get Chestermere excited for this summer’s relay, the organizing team is holding an official kick-off event on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Anniversary Park. Registration will be available at the event, and teams will be there to fundraiser and get people excited about the relay.
The official relay will take place on June 22 at the Chestermere Recreation Centre. For more information about the event, to register your team or to donate, visit convio.cancer.ca and search for Chestermere.
