Although Hollister’s annual Relay for Life that starts today
demands an immense amount of energy from participants, organizers
have proven that it can take a lot less steam to also get involved
by donating money.
Although Hollister’s annual Relay for Life that starts today demands an immense amount of energy from participants, organizers have proven that it can take a lot less steam to also get involved by donating money.
The 10th annual Hollister Relay so far had 195 participants, 33 teams and more than $16,000 raised as of Wednesday, according to the event’s Web site. As those numbers have increased through the years, so have the amount of donations flooding in over the Web.
Mayor Doug Emerson, an active Relay participant, notes that the online service available for the third year allows people to donate in someone’s honor so that their messages are displayed online.
“It’s so much easier than walking around with a bag of money,” says Emerson, who’s among the top fundraisers so far and raises more than $1,000 annually for the event. “It is so easy – just a few clicks. If you don’t have a credit card, just download a form and you can hand that off.”
Geri Johnson, a Relay committee member and cancer survivor herself, notes how many people who sign up for the online fundraising option can simply e-mail their friends to garner more money and get the word out.
“It has helped,” says Johnson, who’s a 6-1/2-year survivor of breast cancer. “It’s reached people out of the area, out of the state, that normally would not be donating.”
And Carol Tortorelli, a six-year cancer survivor, points to another advantage for the organization of the online funds – that Relay obtains the money immediately.
“Any amount is accepted, and we will gratefully accept anything because that gives us that much more than what we had,” she says.
Now that organizing it is done, the physical part of the event officially starts at noon today – though opening ceremonies are set for 5:30 p.m. – and runs for 24 hours at the San Benito High School track. It’s set to once again include entertainment throughout the event, while teams will have camp sites set up where they’ll be holding additional fundraising activities.
“It is extremely important to bring cancer awareness to the forefront – this event is a celebration,” says Tortorelli of the event themed “Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back.”
“Cancer is no longer a death sentence. It can be beat.”
She also stresses that you do not have to be a participant to enjoy it. The opening ceremony will consist of a torch run, motivational speeches, raffles, bathtub bobsled races and a performance by the Oriana Chorale as well as other musical acts. The closing ceremony is set to start at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“A fun thing this year is that we have an Olympic theme. Each team picks a country, so you will see that in their campgrounds and costumes and so on.”
The must-see portion of the event is the Luminaria. Once it is completely dark, the lights are lowered and attendees will see countless paper bags lit from within and decorated. Each bag contains the name of a cancer survivor, or of someone who fought cancer bravely and is now remembered by surviving friends and family. The bags are placed all around the track and up into the bleachers in a design.
“There is no way to describe the experience,” says Emerson. “You must come out to experience and understand how beautiful it is.”
Tortorelli also believes this to be one of the highlights of Relay for Life.
“The lights are lowered and everyone circles the track, reading the luminary bags. It is such a beautiful and emotional experience.”
Hollister has an impressive record of raising between $200,000 and $250,000 each year for this event, a figure demonstrating how important cancer survival is to this community.
“If you take that figure and you multiply it by all the other Relay for Life events nationwide, you get an idea of how much good is done by this event,” says Emerson, who goes on to note that when those funds are channeled into research, education and treatment, cancer comes that much closer to being beaten.
The donations are also used to make the lives of those with active cancer diagnoses livable. Road to Recovery takes people to and from their many appointments, while Look Good Feel Better provides necessities such as wigs, clothing and makeup tips for those who find their appearances have undergone rapid changes that are difficult to deal with.
Another important use of the funds is getting cancer patients information for support groups.
“These groups provide them with information to guide them on their journey through cancer recovery,” notes Tortorelli.
