NORMAL – The name of the 15-person team Heather Brown, Normal, belonged to that participated in the 21st Annual Relay For Life of McLean County said it all. Her team, which included cousins, kids, and friends is called “Walk To Remember.â€
This year’s event raised a total of $270,000 with a total of 1,000 participants on teams of between 12 to 15 people each circling Normal Community High School’s large gym for a full 18-hours, and enjoying numerous activities. For the first time in its history, this year, Relay For Life of McLean County incorporated a 5K Run, which was held Saturday morning. A total of 111 people either pre-registered for the 5K event or registered just prior to it beginning. Event organizers also opted to shorten the overall event from 24 hours as it had been since it began to 18 hours.
Because of heavy rains the morning of Friday, June 26, the event usually held on a track at a local high school, was moved to the school’s large gym.
Members of “Walk To Remember,†ranging in age from 2 to in their 60s, were doing just that: Remembering loved ones and friends who had either survived or lost their battles with cancer. The group has been around for the last few years and seen even the youngest members take part in one of the event’s specific events, a “Youth Lap.â€
Brown, a former Oncology nurse having worked at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center for 16 years, said she learned about the Relay through that employment. “By then, over the years, taking care of many cancer patients and seeing all the good things the American Cancer Society does provide for the patients was something that made me want to do more and be involved,†she explained.
Brown added her family also wanted to be involved with event “because we’ve been touched by cancer because we’ve had many people in our family who were diagnosed with it. My family and friends were all compelled to become part of Relay because we’ve all been caregivers for cancer patients in some way,†Brown said.
“Walk To Remember†team members participated in fundraisers practically year-round to raise around $2,000 of the grand total announced at the end of the event on Saturday morning, Brown said.
“I think it’s really exciting to see everybody really excited to come together and celebrate the survivors, raise money, and make people more aware of what the American Cancer Society does as far as education to patients, providing support, and doing programs to help patients,†Brown added.
“It’s just great to know McLean County has one of the biggest Relays and that we have such a great group of people in our community that comes together. It’s so heart-warming.â€
Brown’s sister, Melinda Malone, and their cousin, Karen Durham of Normal, were also part of “Walk To Remember,†as well. Malone, Downs, said she was on board with the team without much convincing by her sister. “I saw Heather’s passion for this and wanted to get involved right away,†Malone explained. “We’ve always been a close knit family, cousins and all. So this was just one more thing we could do as a family.â€
Friday Morning Rain Forces Event Inside NCHS: For the first time in its history, the event was held at Normal Community High School, where organizers were making final preparations in the morning Friday when heavy rains made the grounds near the track where participants would pitch tents and enjoy each other’s company too damp. Standing water was visible. Relay organizers opted to move the event into NCHS’ large gym just hours before the scheduled 4p.m. start.
Many participants noted how much closer people seemed during the event as a result of moving inside.
The Relay’s primary events – a Youth Lap, Survivor Walk, and Luminaria Ceremony remembering loved ones who either survived or passed from cancer – were said to have special meaning this year because of having been moved indoors.
“It’s amazing that they were able to move the Relay inside, and have it be just as powerful inside as it would have been outside, †Karen Durham commented.
Event Debuts 5K Run; Overall Event Length Shortened: Relay organizers made a few changes to the event this year. In addition to changing the location of the event, they shortened its length. In its previous two decades, Relay For Life of McLean County had been a 24-hour event. Beginning with this year, it was shortened to an 18-hour event.
Organizers also added a 5K run that began outside of Ironmen Field, wound its way up Raab Rd. and around Eastview Christian Church, and then back to the school, ending at the stadium’s track finish line. There were 111 runners who joined the inaugural event. One of them was Bob Dennis.
Dennis said he’d trained for this event having been away from running regularly for three years. “I’d never been to a Relay For Life event and wanted to see what it was like,†Dennis said. “I wanted to see what it was like, and like everyone else, I’ve had close family affected by cancer.â€
Dennis said his wife, Barbi, has participated in Relay For Life, walking with co-workers in previous years. Dennis’ sons, Patrick and Sean, both members of NCHS’ Marching Band, were present for this year’s event when the band took part in the Survivor Walk, helping lead survivors into the large gym.
Kimberly Wright, a Community Manager for American Cancer Society’s Peoria Office, was present to oversee the event, and said ACS “is ecstatic about what we’ve raised this year. We still have two more months to reach our annual goal of $400,000. We’re so close, so it’s really exciting.†ACS’ fiscal year for Relay For Life ends on Aug. 31. All monies donated after the event but turned in by Aug. 31 will be credited toward this year’s money raised, she added. Team members with money to bank will receive an opportunity to do so on July 7.
The feeling all of this year’s participants had from being part of the event was best summed up by Brown as she explained, “the rains may have dampened the grounds, but not our spirits.â€
The Talberts Got Local Event Started: When Bill & Freida Talbert put the very first Relay For Life event together in McLean County in 1995, they raised $63,894.45 thanks to 22 teams of 12-14 people, and were able to honor 26 survivors. This year’s event honored nearly 400 survivors with a dinner and during a moving “Survivor Walk†around the track surrounding Wildcat Field.
With the total announced at the end of this year’s event, Relay For Life of McLean County has raised $7,883,633 since the first Relay event was held here in 1995This year’s Relay For Life of McLean County event had four co-chairs at its helm, guiding an organizing committee of roughly 30-35 people putting the event together. The co-chairs for this year’s event were Christopher Lay, Alexis Anderson, Mary Keener, and Sandi McBurney.