 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
Relay for Life raises $191,000
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 12, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The money is still coming but donations to Relay for Life appear to be on par with last year's cancer drive when $200,000 was collected after an all-night run at William McDonald School track.
Arnie's Angels members Yvette Schreder, left, and Annette Poitras don their wings at the Relay for Life at William McDonald School on June 8. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
Lorna Deveau of the Canadian Cancer Society in Yellowknife reports that a total of $191,000 has been raised after this weekend's event, which sees teams collect pledges and run the track over a 12-hour period in an effort to raise money for cancer research.
People who attended the relay at William McDonald School on Saturday were given colour-coded shirts. Orange shirts were worn by executives from the Cancer Society, blue shirts by volunteers and yellow shirts by cancer survivors.
Kelley Merilees-Keppel was the master of ceremonies for the night. She is a breast cancer survivor and wore all three shirts, including one tied around her neck like a bandana.
She got involved with the relay in 2003 - its first year in Yellowknife - as a participant. Her involvement took on a whole new meaning in 2008 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a partial mastectomy done in 2009 and has been cancer-free ever since.
"Relay has an even bigger impact on my life on a personal scale," she said.
The community participation for the relay was the most touching aspect of the event for Merilees-Keppel.
"The 'Knife is the place to be," she said. "Honest to goodness this community has got to be one of the most generous communities I've ever worked with. It's been phenomenal."
There were 34 teams in this year's relay and more than 350 people attending the event, which included a bouncy castle and face-painting for children, a barbecue and live music.
Yvette Schreder was the organizer for one of the 34 teams, Arnie's Angels.
The team started three years ago when her father Arnie Schreder, who was a chief pilot for Buffalo Airways, was diagnosed with lung cancer.
He walked with the survivors that year but lost the battle before the next relay.
For the last two years Yvette and her team have kept it up without him. They raised more than $13,000 this year.
"We had so many donations from so many businesses and through our silent auction," said Yvette.
The team isn't just about her dad, she said.
"We all have somebody we've lost or somebody who's fighting," she said. "One of our team members has two brothers who have been diagnosed, so it touches everybody."
Yvette's teammate Annette Poitras said the event raises awareness as well as money and it's especially important in that it teaches younger generations about the importance of helping people.
Arnie's Angels will continue their mission to raise money and awareness for the next relay, said Yvette.
"Next year we could be walking for one of us, so we gotta just keep walking."
| 
