(Atlantic) Final preparations are underway for the Cass County Relay for Life event on Sunday, June 30. Survivors, supporters, and community members are invited to celebrate and support cancer survivors and caregivers from 11 am to 2 pm on June 30 at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA in Atlantic. The 2024 Relay for Life focuses on our Survivors and Caregivers as they “Take Back Their Day” with this annual event featuring activities for the whole family. Organizers invite the community to enjoy a Kids Play Zone, Survivor Meal and celebration lap, luminaria ceremony, and other activities during this particular time together.
ALL Survivors and Caregivers in Cass County are invited and encouraged to register in advance to ensure they receive a meal and a t-shirt. Extra survivor shirts will not be available at the walk, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged online or by calling committee member Dawn Marnin at 712-249-4773. All survivors, caregivers, supporters, and teams that plan to participate are invited to register this year by going to the local Relay website: www.relayforlife.org/casscountyia. You can also call 1-800-227-2345 and have an American Cancer Society expert register you. This year’s goal is to increase survivor registration to reach and support as many as possible!
The 2024 Cass County Relay for Life will again conclude with the beautiful and touching Luminaria Ceremony. With hundreds of luminarias decorated with bright memories and sweet images lined up along the track at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, this is one of the most memorable parts of the Relay For Life event. Name after name shines brightly along the way, calling on those who walk it to remember and honor many loved ones whose lights shine brightly in even dark times. As the event ends, a respectful silence accompanies the soft glow of the hundreds of luminarias as the names on each are called out. Although emotional, for many who Relay, the luminaria ceremony is a favorite part of the event and a particular time to recognize so many lives affected by cancer.
Everyone is invited to dedicate a luminaria “In Support of” a cancer fighter currently on their cancer journey, “In Honor of” someone who has completed active treatment and is showing HOPE to others, and “In Memory of” a loved one who braved a cancer fight. Jodi Christofferson is our Luminaria Lead again this year and is working on the 2024 Ceremon. If you would like to purchase luminaria for a $10.00 donation to honor your loved one, please email her at jodichristoffersen@hotmail.com, and she can arrange the delivery or pick up of the luminaria before the event so you can personalize it, or you can give her the names, and she can decorate it for you. When you register online, you can also purchase a luminaria and let us honor your loved one(s) this year. Click the “Learn about Relay” prompt, scroll down to the Dedicate a Luminaria section, and follow the prompt. Our local committee of volunteers will make the bag(s) for you.
Raffle tickets to support Relay are still available at Cappels Ace Hardware in downtown Atlantic for two large prizes: Cappels Ace Hardware has donated a Weber Griddle, and Elkhart Plastics of Iowa has donated a Kong Cooler. Tickets can be purchased anytime for $5 or $5 for $20. Final raffle sales will happen at Relay for Life on June 30, where the drawing will also be held at the end of the event.
In addition to participating in the event, supporting the raffle, or purchasing a luminaria, community members are invited to follow the Cass County Relay for Life Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rflcasscountyia to keep up on current activities and challenges! Relay for Life is a reminder that every step taken in the unified fight is for every cancer patient. Please plan to join Cass County Relay for Life on June 30, 2024, from 11 am to 2 pm as we Celebrate Survivors, Remember those we have lost, and Fight Back against a disease that has taken too much from so many of us!
The American Cancer Society is a non-profit based in communities across the country. The American Cancer Society focuses on “Every Cancer. Every Lfe”. as the leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it for everyone. We are providing the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through Advocacy, Research, and patient support to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Learn more about The American Cancer Society by visiting cancer.org.
(Photo: Committee members decorate luminaria during a recent Relay planning meeting. Pictured are: Joyce Goff, Jodi Christoffersen, Chris Parks, Lynne Kluever, Kristi Schmidtke, Kate Olson, Kristen Nielsen, Rita Rohde, Dawn Marnin and Suzie Mages.
