Relay for Life raises $137,000
Published: June 28, 2010
Font size: [A] [A] [A]
ST. THOMAS — Every year, the American Cancer Society reaches out to St. Thomas and the surrounding islands in an attempt to bring people together for one purpose.
The event, Relay For Life, is always highly attended and usually has one lasting memory for the people involved. That moment came just as the full moon raised in the sky Saturday night and the tiki torches were lit.
“When the cancer survivors came out and walked their opening lap with the tiki torches, it truly was an amazing moment,” said Jane DiCola, the St. Thomas Relay For Life chairwoman of public relations and promotions.
“It’s not often when we can create a sense of a village on this small island. It was a great time for us to get together for one great purpose. It was quite beautiful.”
Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in the community a chance to celebrate the lives of people who are engaged in a battle against cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease.
Despite rainy weather in the morning, the 9th annual Relay For Life raised $137,000 as cancer survivors, relatives, team members and volunteers sauntered around the track at Charlotte Amalie High School to help raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.
More than 70 teams, comprising 15 members each, helped raise funds before the event, which kicked off at 4 p.m. Saturday and went through the night into Sunday morning.
Local rotary clubs, church organizations and various non-profit organizations were among the many groups that helped raise funds through luminary sales, sponsorships and donations. The rainy weather may have hindered walk-up donations and volunteers but DiCola said after everything was said and done, the event was a success.
“As a committee, we were pretty satisfied,” she said. “The amount of teams that gathered was fantastic. Given the way things are these days, there’s a lot of people in need. The available dollars have been stretched thin but this event continues to build.”
Relay For Life first began in Tacoma, Wash., as a 24-hour Run Against Cancer in the mid 1980’s.
While many survivors and participants rounded the track, plenty of fun was had inside of it where more than 70 tents were set up. All of the tents were decorated with this year’s theme in mind: “Imagine a world with more birthdays and I’m making it happen.”
“Everyone involved really got into the spirit,” said Peya Howard, the event’s entertainment co-chair. “I’ve been doing this for the last six years and when I first started, it was hard to get a band to play this event. Now, they call me to perform.”
Howard said this year’s relay featured the most bands since the event started on St. Thomas. Niche, Pro-Style Band, Energy Band, Ah We Band, Pressure Band and Smooth Vybez International rocked the stage as people took part in the traditional tug-of-war, an obstacle course and Relay Has Talent, a talent show that made its debut this year.
For the third year in a row, Innovative took home the Most Participation Award. The Best Tent Award went to Seaside Inn while Messengers of Hope (Seventh-day Adventist) won the Most Enthusiastic Award. The Most Luminaries Award and Most Money Raised Award is still being calculated, Howard said.
“I have to be honest, the crowd did look smaller than previous years but that’s OK,” Howard said. “What we lacked in numbers, we made up for with enthusiasm.”
— Contact sports reporter Aaron Gray at 774-8772 ext. 352 or e-mail agray@dailynews.vi.
