The fact that there even was a 26th-annual Relay for Life of Barton County Sunday evening was in itself something of a miracle.
First, local organizers, known as the lead team, had to scramble to work through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The American Cancer Society, the parent organization for relays around the globe, only allowed in-person relays to start in July, but wanted money raised turned in by the end of August.
Next, Mother Nature took her shots. It was a hot, steamy afternoon followed by a thunderstorm that forced the annual cancer-fighting fundraiser to pack up early.
“You’ll never see a harder working group of people,” a teary-eyed Kandi Wolf, the event lead this year, said of those who planned the relay. She addressed the opening ceremony in downtown Great Bend’s Jack Kilby Square.
Things looked a little different, due to the virus-induced changes, but overcoming challenges to fight on is what relays are all about. “We relay to find a cure for cancer, and honor those who have had cancer and those who have survived,” she said.
A time to celebrate
“This is a culmination of working for six months to raise money for ACS,” she said. “It’s a celebration bringing the survivors, teams, volunteers and sponsors together.”
It also brings awareness to cancer and the war against it, she said. “After all these years, there are still people who have never been to a relay.”
The gathering took place on a Sunday, not Friday, and it was scheduled to be shorter than past relays. It was also confined to the south half of the square.
But, there was a dose of the familiar with an opening ceremony, the first lap by cancer survivors, campsites with fundraisers, music provided by a DJ and dancing (including the Hokey Pokey), and the somber lighting of luminaries. There was also a cornhole tournament and food vendors – a party atmosphere honoring lives lost and triumphs.
And, of course, there were ample tears shed for those lost to cancer and cheers for those who have survived the disease.
One of the most touching moments occurred when Jena Shelton addressed the opening ceremony about her son Jensyn’s bout with cancer. Flanked by Jensyn and his father Cole Smith, she wept as the recalled the boy’s struggles.
Diagnosed shortly after birth, Jensyn is now cancer free. He received an ovation from the crowd, applauding his recovery, and he joined in the clapping as well.
The lead team selected an Olympics theme this year. From the inaugural survivor’s lap to the story of young Jensyn, the Olympian spirit was on display.
Making the best of it
As for the crowd, “I was really happy with the turnout, even with everything else going on,” she said. And, even though they started at 5 p.m. and the rain forced them out of the park by 8:30, they felt it was a success.
“Our goal was $20,000 and we surpassed that,” Wolf said, noting there were still some outstanding donations. “We are over our goal this year,”
“It was a real effort on everyone’s part to pull this together so quickly,” Wolf said. She praised the committee, teams and the army of volunteers for their efforts, and the community and businesses that pitched in to support the relay in these challenging financial times.
There were a number of gift baskets and other drawing items that remain since things shut down early. They will be sold through an online auction on the Relay for Life of Barton County’s Facebook page,
But, despite the success, “we are already looking forward to next year,” she said. “Hopefully, we will be back to normal.”
Since 1985, the ACS’s Relay for Life has grown from Dr. Gordy Klatt, who walked, jogged, and ran around a track in Tacoma, Wash., for 24 hours raising money for ACS. The following year, 340 supporters joined Klatt (who died in 2014 of heart failure) and it grew from there.
Relays are now the ACS’s major fundraiser and take place in 5,000 communities in the United States. And, each year, more than 4 million people in 26 countries take part.
