We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
teering committee. The 2016 Blaine County Relay for Life committee displays new shirts to be used at the July 8 event set for Hoon Field in Chinook. Pictured are: (back row, left to right) Jalyn Keighley, Relay for Life Community Manager; Inez Halseth and Tammy Williams. Front row: Art Kleinjan and Mary Pyette. The committee is putting the final plans together for the annual Relay for Life walk and related activities.
The committee that organizes Blaine County's annual American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is putting the final touches on plans for the July 8 event. A big change this year is a shortened time for the walk, with the walk ending at midnight on Friday evening. In years past the walk lasted all night. The walk and luminary ceremony is set for Hoon Field, in Chinook, with the county fairgrounds as an alternative if the weather is uncooperative.
Nationwide the Relay for Life is the major public fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. Created in 1985, Relay for Life events have raised nearly $5 billion to support cancer research and other related support programs for cancer victims. Relay events are staged in 20 countries involving 5200 communities each year.
It's all about teams
The walk and accompanying festivities on July 8 will be the celebration of the fundraising by teams. With seven teams currently operating in Blaine County, fundraising has been underway in earnest for some time. The ways teams are raising money for the Relay is quite varied.
The Golden Oldies, a team representing the Chinook Senior Center, puts together jigsaw puzzles, frames them and then sells them via silent auction at the center. Another group, The Chinook Team, is headed by Colleen Mulonet. She described the team as made up of "Our Chinook Youth, my family and a few others." They held a Scratch/No Tap Bowling event that was attended by 17 folks. Mulonet also helped organize a Penny Wars among classes at Chinook High. The Soaring Eagles, a long time team sponsored by the local Eagles Club, has been holding BBQ's to support Relay for Life and will be doing concessions during the night of the walk.
Luminaries and other activities
During the evening of the walk, there will be a ceremony to light the luminaries. Typically, each luminary is in memory of a cancer victim or to honor a cancer survivor. Colleen Mulonet, who heads the luminary project, said 70 luminaries have been purchased already. To create a luminary for a loved one or friend, contact Mulonet at the State Farm Insurance office.
Survivors' Dinner
That dinner recognizes and brings together cancer survivors before the event at Hoon Field. If you know of a cancer survivor who has not received an invitation to the dinner, you can contact the Alliance Church for more details. It's also tradition at the beginning of the walk, for the cancer survivors, as a group, to make the first lap around the field. Then other participants keep the laps going throughout the evening. Many teams bring campers or tents to have a place to rest when they aren't walking laps. The whole idea of the evening is to raise awareness for cancer victims by keeping someone walking on the track all evening.
For the evening event radio station KGVA, 88.1, has expressed a desire to come and do a live broadcast during the evening walk. There will also be a disc jockey providing music during the walk.
The Relay for Life walk is a celebration of life. The walk honors victims and survivors and the donors and volunteers who work to raise money to fight cancer and aid cancer victims. If you would like more information about the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life you can find information at: relayforlife.org\blainecountymt. Or, call coordinating committee member Mary Pyette at 357-4129 (cell is 781-8039) for team information or other contacts for Relay activities.
