By Staff
They were all winners, as was the community.
Together, the top three fundraising teams for the 2008 Beaufort County Relay For Life raised a little more than $40,000. Overall, as of earlier this week, this year’s fundraising campaign to fight cancer raised $161,454.
At least 35 teams worked to raise that amount. That’s why all the teams and their members are winners. It’s also why the community is a winner.
From 31 members to a lone member, Relay For Life teams did their part in the fight against cancer. Judging from the amount of money raised, many residents did their part, too.
Since its inception, Beaufort County Relay For Life has raised more than $1.1 million. That says a lot about the ability of Relay For Life teams to raise money. It also says a lot about the generosity and caring nature of Beaufort County residents, businesses and organizations.
The Bosom Buddies; Christ’s Crusaders 4 A Cancer Cure, the team from Washington’s First Baptist Church and The Stompers, the team from Washington’s First Church of Christ, came in first, second and third, respectively, in the fundraising campaign. Calling it a fundraising competition seems wrong, considering that it was a collective effort that raised the $161,454.
It’s not about which team raised the most money; it’s about raising that money to help find a cure for cancer and eradicating the disease. There’s nothing wrong with competition when it comes to raising money for this cause. In fact, it’s a healthy thing. As teams try to outdo one another, the amount of money being collected rises each year. The more money, the better equipped the American Cancer Society is to fight and eradicate cancer.
And don’t overlook the fact that the Kids’ Walk this year raised a little more than $3,800 to go in the Relay For Life coffers. Children who participated in that Kids’ Walk are likely to grow up to be adults who become members of teams like Bosom Buddies, Christ’s Crusaders 4 A Cancer Cure and the Stompers.
More than 300 cancer survivors registered to participate in the Survivors’ Lap, the first lap walked at any track or site where a Relay For Life event is held. But not all those who signed up walked that first lap; some cancer survivors are not able to make that walk.
If anyone knows just how important Relay For Life is in the fight against cancer, a survivor knows. Many cancer survivors know that without Relay For Life, some of them would not have beaten cancer. They know what those donations can do because they are the beneficiaries of those donations.
Beaufort County residents need look no farther than within the county to see evidence that Johnson’s statement rings true.