Hundreds of Kent residents caught \u201cRelay Fever\u201d last weekend, turning out in spite of chilly weather to support the cause of cancer research.<\/p>\n
The 10th annual Relay for Life of Kent drew nearly 700 participants to French Field May 30 through 31, according to event chair Jamie Harres.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was, overall, a great Relay,\u201d Harres said. \u201cWe had a lot of great new teams, and a lot of returning teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 65 registered teams, along with corporate sponsors, raised $171,657 for the American Cancer Society this year.<\/p>\n
That number was about $50,000 shy of the original fundraising goal for this year \u2014 $225,000 \u2014 but event organizers had no complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the way things are right now, the price of gas, I think we were all pretty happy with the way things went,\u201d said Karee Boone, a Seattle-based community relations manager for the American Cancer Society.<\/p>\n
The 20-hour relay started at 6 p.m. May 30, with a survivors\u2019 lap. Approximately 80 cancer survivors, clad in purple \u201cSurvivor\u201d T-shirts, marched around the track, escorted by Kent Police officers on motorcycles, bikes and one, Matt Lorette, walking a police dog.<\/p>\n
Two special cancer survivors, representing the universal span of the disease, rode in seats of honor at the head of the parade.<\/p>\n
Smiling and waving from a motorcycle sidecar, 83-year-old Lorraine White, the relay\u2019s senior cancer survivor, acknowledged the applause from friends and supporters that followed her around the track.<\/p>\n
Just ahead of her, riding on the lead motorcycle behind Renton Police officer Clark Wilcox sat the relay\u2019s youngest cancer survivor: Tommy Janes, age 4 1\/2. He has had cancer for less than four months. Tommy wore black sunglasses and a black helmet dotted with bright stickers.<\/p>\n
After the survivors\u2019 lap, caregivers took their lap of honor around the track, followed by \u201clocal heroes\u201d \u2014 police, firefighters, military personnel and their families.<\/p>\n
The other major event of the night was the luminaria ceremony. During the ceremony, paper bags containing lit votive candles were set out around the edge of the track. Each bore the name of a person fighting cancer, or a loved one lost to the disease. At 10 p.m., people began reading off the names from the luminaria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat lasted probably an hour-and-a-half to two hours, just the reading of the names,\u201d Harres said.<\/p>\n
Some of the more lighthearted events throughout the night included a Disco Outfit Lap in honor of this year\u2019s theme (\u201cRelay Fever\u201d), squirt-gun fights, a tug-o\u2019-war competition and a limbo contest.<\/p>\n
Teams also continued their fundraising efforts throughout the night.<\/p>\n
Judy Zallocco of the team Madeline\u2019s Mauraders had a baked-goods booth set up at the edge of the track, boasting an assortment of mouthwatering homemade delicacies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve raised about $800 from my bake sale this year,\u201d Zallocco said at the start of the night.<\/p>\n
Nearby, Janice Pirret showed off the cloth wallets she sewed as a fundraiser for her daughter\u2019s high-school relay team.<\/p>\n
The Relay for Life wrapped up at 2 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n
While the big event is over, Harres said that the opportunities to give haven\u2019t stopped. \u201cAugust is the end of our fiscal year,\u201d she said, adding that she expects the fundraising total to continue to grow till then.<\/p>\n
Anyone interested in donating to the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life of Kent can do so by going online at www.rflkent.org.<\/p>\n
For more information about Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org.<\/p>\n
Contact staff writer Christine Shultz at 253-872-6600, ext. 5056, or e-mail cshultz@reporternewspapers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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