Relay pageant set for April 27

Published 11:23 am Friday, April 19, 2019

 

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

The West End Baptist Church Relay For Life teams are hosting their annual pageant fundraiser at the Chilton County High School auditorium on April 27.

This year is the first year for the church to add a team focused on ending childhood cancer, Going #GoldTogether for God’s Children.

Team members are hoping for a good turnout of audience members from the community to help reach fundraising goals. Proceeds will be split between the two teams, with all funds going to the American Cancer Society. Funds raised by Going #GoldTogether for God’s Children will go toward curing childhood cancer. General admission is $5. Student admission is $3. Children four and under can attend the event for free. Programs will be available for $2. Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event.

The pageant will begin with the Wee, Tiny and Little categories at 1 p.m. Young, Junior and Miss categories will be at 3:30 p.m. Coordinator Sunny Mays said each of the girls in the older groups will be asked on stage to tell why they participate in Relay For Life or why Relay is important to them.

The on-stage question is asked for these age groups “because they will be the ones who are speaking when we go out (to events). Some of them are very touching. Their families have been really impacted,” Mays said.

Mays encourages any contestants that ask her what they should say just “to speak from their heart.”

Cancer survivors will also be recognized at the event.

Mays said cancer has impacted just about everyone in the county.

This is the sixth year for the pageant.

This year, a volunteer stepped forward as judge’s chair, Mays said. She said the person had experience working with the Miss America Foundation and was able to take care of securing judges for this year’s event.

Judges for the event are always from out-of-county.

During their reign, the Relay For Life Queens raise awareness about cancer, raise money for research and “help cancer patients any way that we can,” Mays said.

They have done this by visiting cancer patients at Hope Lodge, making blankets for childhood cancer patients and (for the Miss and Junior Miss) talking about cancer and the American Cancer Society at events.

“Our slogan is queens fighting for a cure,” Mays said.

The queens also attend a number of local events to “support the community because our community supports us,” Mays said.