‘Relay’ teams show spirit

This year, as it has for the last two, the local “Relay for Life” is bringing together people from all walks of life to fight a common enemy: cancer.
Some 32 teams of about 10 people each have signed up for the all-night event at Pither’s Point Park this Friday, ranging from young to old, fit to not-so-fit, seasoned walkers to newcomers.
The local business community is well represented among this year’s teams, including the Royal Bank’s “RBC Rescuers,” Celeste’s Hair Salon’s “Hair Raisers,” and Voyageur Panel’s team from Barwick.
The Royal Bank’s 10-member team is made up entirely of staff. It has entered a team since the “Relay for Life” first came to Fort Frances in 2001.
“The team is still as enthusiastic as they were the first year,” said team captain Dana-Rae Bergner, the bank’s assistant manager.
The fundraising is “going fabulous,” she added, with donations of about $1,500 so far.
“The staff donates on dress-down days, as well,” noted Bergner. “And we’ve been having bake sales for about the last two-and-a-half months.”
All proceeds from these fundraisers also go to the Canadian Cancer Society.
The team decided to call themselves the RBC Rescuers “to show support for the cancer society and to help fund research,” Bergner said.
Meanwhile, staff at Celeste’s Hair Design have a very personal reason for participating in the “Relay for Life.”
“My mother, Celeste [Beck], who originated the salon, passed away from cancer,” said Cindy Allan, the salon’s owner and manager.
Allan added her 90-year-old grandmother will be walking for the third-straight year in the “Survivors’ Walk”—the first lap of the evening dedicated to cancer survivors.
“Cancer has touched many people,” Allan said when discussing the importance of the relay.
“Fort Frances has always been a very giving community for any function,” she added.
Celeste’s also will be doing “Cuts for Cancer” and mini-manicures during “Mall Days” tomorrow (June 26), with all proceeds going to “Relay for Life.”
The Voyageur Panel team is made up of management, union members, and family and friends. “You could call it a community effort,” said Sheree Jewell, the team’s captain.
Jewell said a group from the company organized a team two years ago, but “because of the shift work, it can be hard to get people to walk.”
Voyageur Panel sponsored the 11-person team by paying its registration fees while the CEP union gave money for snacks and decorations.
“Because it’s Fun in the Sun, we’re going to have a lot of beach stuff and bright colours and flowers and things,” Jewell noted.
The team also will be bringing along non-smoking signs, as well as some “super soakers,” to discourage anyone from smoking in their tent.
Team members range from about 30-65, Jewell estimated, including one cancer survivor who will take part in the “Survivors’ Walk.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone I know whose life hasn’t been touched by cancer,” Jewell said.
She added one of the best parts of the evening is “meeting so many different people and hearing so many different stories.”
(Fort Frances Times)