Ok, so the big event that I have been planning since September 2008 happened, and I need to tell the world! Haha. Ok, well, maybe just the handful of people who read my blog. ;)
The Relay for Life of SLC 2009 was June 12-13 at This is the Place Heritage Park. If you ask most people who were there (aside from me, because I was soooo heads down in the details I saw every little thing, and some of the big things, that didn't go as planned!!), the Relay was a huge success. We had more teams than ever, we honored more cancer survivors then ever. And, we raised a lot of money despite the horrible economic times. However, we once again were plauged with some pretty rediculous weather. Rain? Check. Thunder? Check. Lightening? Check. Insane winds, that were probably around 40-60mph? Check. Cold temps? You betcha! haha. But, despite it all, we had people on the track the entire time. Everyone braved some of the most random June weather seen in years to stay on the track and do all they could to honor the people in their lives touched by cancer.
The reason the Relay for Life event goes all night is to symbolize that while cancer never sleeps, neither will our fight to stop cancer! So, it was awesome to see so many people really take that message to heart and do all they could to withstand the dark, cold, difficult hours, because thats what cancer patients do. They fight, no matter how dark things seem to be. I can't tell you how touched I was to see so many braving it. When I lost heart, they gave me a reason to hope and keep going, knowing that people will keep fighting until we find a cure!
Here are some pictures:
Some of the committee members. None of the Relay would have been possible without them.
Cancer survivor adding his handprint to our survivor banner.
Balloon arch on the track.
Cancer survivors honored at our Survivor Dinner.
Two kids playing on the inflatables, with the monument at This is the Place Heritage Park behind them.
My glamor shot. Haha.
Person walking on the track past luminaria bags before the sun set.
Our "hope" sign, covered with Luminaria bags, to help us remember those we've lost to Cancer, and celebrate those that have survived. The people standing behind the letters are a young survivor of brain cancer, a young survivor of lukemia, and some of their family.
Blurry picture, but cool. It shows the screen where we displayed names of loved ones that have been touched by Cancer, the rain drops, people watching, the monument at This is The Place Heritage Park, and then lightning stricking the mountain!! We had the craziest weather!!
