Heather Latter
The carnival is coming to town—at least, a carnival of sorts.
The Fort Frances “Relay for Life,” with its carnival theme, is set to go this Saturday from noon until midnight at Fort Frances High School.
The annual event is dubbed an inspirational, non-competitive fundraiser that brings people and their communities together to celebrate life and fight cancer.
It features a festival-like atmosphere that family, friends, and co-workers can enjoy regardless of their age or fitness level.
The “Relay” involves teams of 10 people who take turns walking, running, or strolling around a track.
“Things are coming along well. We’re really happy,” enthused event co-chair Jennifer Anderson, noting 16 teams have registered to take part.
“We’re quite pleased with the carnival theme this year,” Anderson added, indicating the teams are preparing plenty of activities and games for people to participate in.
“They’re doing lots of fun things like balloon-popping, a giant ‘Connect Four’ game, pie sales, yard sales, velcro wall, oversized-boxing gloves, minnow races, and a photo booth,” she remarked.
“Everyone is invited to come on down and take part, visit, bring the kids,” Anderson stressed. “You don’t have to be registered.
“There’s lots going on that day so if you’re out and about, just stop by for a bit.”
The “Relay,” which saw a significant change in the time of the event this year, won’t be running throughout the night but still will go for 12 hours.
“Given that ‘Relay’ is a week later this year, and there are four other events going on in town that day, we’re very happy with 16 teams,” Anderson stressed.
“We are always right around that mark.
“We have some of the same teams that come back year after year, then you have one or two drop out and one or two that are new,” she noted.
“So we definitely got some new teams,” she said, attributing that in part to the time change.
Anderson said they have a team of students from J.W. Walker, as well as the Legion ladies.
“They haven’t ‘relayed’ with us in years but they came back with two teams because they don’t have to go overnight,” she explained.
“So we’ve had a good reception to the time change.
“And I think having all that daylight hour is what really got the teams doing stuff,” added Anderson, noting some activities, such as the velcro wall and boxing, would be difficult to do at night.
“You have to be able to see,” she stressed. “It’s something you have to shut down once it gets dark because it’s not safe.”
Despite the change in time, Anderson said the committee is maintaining the core events of past “Relays.”
There will be an opening lap at noon, followed by some theme laps, and then teams will start getting their fundraisers going.
The survivors’ reception is set for 4 p.m., with head-shaving at 6 p.m. and then a survivors’ celebration at 7 p.m.
The evening will culminate with the luminaries being lit around 10 p.m., as well as a closing ceremony at midnight.
“Hopefully the weather holds and hopefully we get a good turnout,” Anderson remarked, noting they are going to “relay” outside rain or shine.
“Thunder and lightning, obviously for safety reasons, would pull us inside,” she conceded.
“But we’ve told all out teams to have a plan to be outside in the rain.
“I know last year it stormed in the middle of the night and we weren’t really prepared for it,” she admitted.
“So this year, unless it’s not safe, we are going to ‘relay’ in the rain.”
Anderson added the survivors’ reception will be held on-site again.
“It will be nice because, weather permitting, we’ll be doing it right outside,” she remarked.
“And the teams will be doing their fundraisers throughout the day and into the night, in addition to walking and raising money.
“Come out and take part,” she urged. “We love to have the public out.”
Anderson said this year’s fundraising goal is $60,000. But, of course, organizers like to exceed their goal if possible.
She noted that due to their ongoing partnership with the Riverside Foundation for Health Care, a portion of what the “Relay for Life” raises will go directly to the Foundation and be used locally.
In 2012, the “Relay” gave $30,000 to the “Together We Can” campaign.
The following year, it provided the Foundation with $35,000 to purchase a chemo peripherally-inserted central catheter (PICC) line and fund training so fewer people would have to travel for treatment.
Then last year, it gave more than $5,000 to the Foundation in support of cancer care.
Anderson said any cancer survivors who would like to participate in the survivors’ reception can contact Nicole Chambers (271-0067).
Meanwhile, luminaries are being sold at From The Grind Up, Fort Frances Times, Pharmasave, George’s Gently Used, Curvy Chick, Royal Bank, Gillons’, the La Verendrye Hospital Auxiliary Tuck Shop, Emo Drugs, and at the event.
For more information on luminaries, call Sheri (275-5801). To volunteer for the event, contact Samantha Manty (274-4803).
To learn more or register, visit relayforlife.ca/fortfrances
