Relay for Life 2008 saw smallest local attendance yet

By REBEKAH HASTINGS

Aberdeen radio personality Johnny Manson said it best this weekend, “people don’t seem to care about fighting cancer till it hits them personally.”

To some degree, he’s hit the nail on the head. Until you have to hold a limp, pale, swollen child with cancer in your arms during a routine weekly spinal tap, a cure for cancer isn’t on your mind all the time. Until you worry that you won’t be there to help your children through the misery and

drama of their teenage years and have to wonder who will take over walking them down the aisle because there just weren’t effective treatments for the type of cancer you had, funding a cure for cancer might not be as important as the “stress” we all choose to allow in our lives.

This year’s Willapa Bay Relay for Life saw the smallest attendance yet in the eight years the area has had one. Given, Relays across the nation have seen less participation with rising costs and common financial difficulties, and those of us in Southwest Washington have recently suffered through storms causing as much as catastrophic destruction for some families. That being said, the committee members heading up this year’s local Relay expected a somewhat smaller turnout. Of the 22 teams signed up with this year’s assembly, 15 had tables or booths. Last year’s end of Relay money count was at $58,000. This year’s total paled in comparison at only $31,000. Heather Hill announced the numbers happily and said that she thought people would continue to donate through August when the final counts are done for the year.

When talking with Relay participants this year, the response was divided. Half the participants were disappointed by the lack of community support. A college-aged young man walking the track at about one in the morning was overheard saying to the person on the other end of the line, “Either everyone in Pacific County has given up on finding a cure for cancer, or they all had something more important to do.”

Still some die hard, we-can-do-its had only positive things to say. “Luminaria sales were up this year,” Luminaria chair Linda Miller said. “I think everyone noticed how few people were here and it seemed that everyone was sure to buy a luminaria. It made it all the more meaningful. My husband suggested we play the song, ‘Braid My Hair,’ but I knew that I just couldn’t make it through that song.”

Randy Owen of legendary country band Alabama fame has recorded the song and has allowed all proceeds to be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. It’s nearly impossible to listen to without crying with lyrics like, “I just want to ride a bike, and make a friend,” and of course, “I want to braid my hair.”

The luminaria ceremony was as beautiful as always, and this year they easily lined Raymond High School’s track all the way around. Luminarias were available at the Team Luke (for local cancer survivor Luke Salme) table. Each luminaria was decorated with the name of a victim or survivor of cancer and some of them even had drawings and wishes to lost loved ones. Relay committee members also put blank luminarias along the bleachers spelling out the word “hope.” Team Luke, which had been on hiatus for the last few Relays, was also the stop for lap beads so that participants could easily keep track of how many laps they’d walked.

At this year’s event, participants could choose from a huge selection of food at the concession stand run by RHS’s Relay team, cupcakes, beautifully hand beaded jewelry, sloppy joes, catchers mitts and fuzzy flip flops. They could play games, enter a number of raffles, and watch the always-hilarious Mr. Relay contest.

This year’s contestants were known simply as “Hannah Montana,” “Jan,” and “Luscious.” After several minutes of laughter and “eewwws,” the contestants answer a few questions and wander the track asking for donations. The winner of the Mr.Relay competition is the participant with the largest sum of collected money. “Jan” came in at second place with about $56 and someone said that “Luscious” had gone home before the ceremony. It’s not surprising- she likened herself to Jessica Alba and she did look a bit over concerned with her appearance. “Hannah Montana”, also known as Shawn Fuller of South Bend, was the proud winner of the Mr. Relay 2008 crown with donations of over $170.

Games organized by the Entertainment Committee chair were enjoyed by everyone participating and watching. Teams of two drenched each other during the bucket brigade. Participants took turns wearing safety helmets topped with plastic cups. Using a sponge, the first team member would squeeze as much water into the cup as possible and the second would run down the field to a bucket, trying to aim well to fill the bucket up as much as possible. In the end, nine-year-old Jessica Bale’s team won, leaving her soaked to the bones and smiling ear to ear.

Next up was the egg toss, the object of which is obvious by its name. Dozens of contestants paired up tossing a raw egg back and forth in the hopes that they wouldn’t be the one to be holding the egg at its inevitable end. Mitchell Hatfield and Kevin Pettit of the Raymond High School relay team, were launching an egg at each other for several minutes and were dozens of feet apart until the egg saw its last moment all over Hatfield’s hands and pants. “Uh, oh, I didn’t bring extra clothes,” Hatfield said looking down at himself.

105.7’s morning D.J. Johnny Manson donated his time yet again at this year’s event. He somehow manages to work full time at the radio station, do paid DJ gigs and volunteer a staggering amount of time to events like the Willapa Relay. He was just recently seen at the Grays Harbor Relays and at Tombstone Idol held in Willapa Valley at Tombstone Willies. He’s also a member of his radio station’s Relay team.

“To me, this isn’t about listenership,” Manson said. “I didn’t bring a bunch of 105.7 stuff to promote the station. These events are for raising cancer awareness and looking for a cure. It’s about community- after all what’s a radio station without its community?

“My son’s godfather died of cancer,” Manson said. He talked a bit about the experience of watching someone fight cancer and lose the battle and the experience sounds like it changed his perspective.

Team totals were announced with Karen’s Crew in the lead with a nearly $4,000 year earnings total. The team, after many years of participating, will sadly not be returning for next year’s Relay. Second place was won by the Raymond High School Relay team headed up by teachers Angela and Steve Silvernail with a total of over $2,500, and in third was the returning team, Team Luke with over $1,500. The final lap of the Relay was walked to the Tom Petty song, “Running Down a Dream” and was finished with a balloon release

There was talk earlier this year of the ending of the Willapa Bay Relay for Life, as Relay Chair Heather Hill was burning out. Fortunately, Denise Lund volunteered to take on the mammoth job and the community can look forward to another year of fun and another relay to earn money to help fight cancer.

Obviously, the money earned here isn’t funding the entire cure for cancer. Some Relay organizations in larger cities make the same amounts in an evening that we spend the entire year earning. Relay for Life isn’t just about earning money- let’s face it, not every one can walk for twenty-four hours straight- it’s about awareness. Next year, try just going down to the Relay to see what’s up. The celebration is open to everyone, and it’s not just a tear-fest. One of the Relay for Life’s mottos is, “Remember, Celebrate, Fight Back.” This year, everyone at the Willapa Bay 2008 Relay for Life was celebrating.