Relay for Life: A Show of Resilience Against Cancer

Cancer does not stop and so should we.

Albemarle, NC- The organizers had to move the event’s location at the very last minute. They thought everything would go downhill from that point. But the community’s commitment to serving cancer survivors proved more stubborn than the weather.

Relay for Life has been a big part of the community’s plight against cancer. They have chosen to stand up against the big C in the name of the men, women, children and neighbors living with the disease.  Their efforts amounted to a total of $67K  – and the year isn’t over yet!

Relay for Life is a total grass roots, community-based fund raiser entirely ran by volunteers. Currently, the event is being hosted in 27 countries, helping thousands of survivors worldwide.

Volunteers would take turns in walking the track for 6, 12 or 24 hours. The only rule is that there should always be one person per group on the track. This symbolizes that cancer does not stop  and neither should our efforts to stop it.

The unpredictable weather threatened to ruin event. Thunderstorms loomed over Albemarle and the organizes scrambled to find a suitable location to host the fundraiser. The event’s original venue behind the Oakboro Fire Department was not unusable. It was a race against time to find a new venue!

Luckily, the volunteers were able to easily secure an indoor venue big enough for the event.

Maybe the old saying is true, when you do things for others, the universe will conspire to help you!

Cancer survivor Chante Cranford was not surprised at the event’s success despite the setbacks. This was because cancer survivors and their families are no strangers to overcoming barriers.

Luckily, the news of the switch quickly spread like wildfire. Organizers of the event were instrumental in informing event supporters to their various social media pages.

This community’s efforts to raise money for cancer prevention, detection and treatment will continue on until August 2018. Best of luck to the brave volunteers!

If you want to hold a similar event in your own neighborhood, visit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life webpage to get more information on how you can start your own fundraiser.