Relay For Life announces campaign totals
Published 2:53 pm Monday, May 6, 2019
Relay for Life Queens lead the survivors walk. Photos by BRANDON SUMRALL/ SPECIAL
Participants during survivor walk. Photos by BRANDON SUMRALL/ SPECIAL
Survivor Speaker Mari Venezia addresses the crowd.
Children lead the children's survivor walk.
Peach Queens take part in the Children's Survivor Walk.
Participants in the Survivors walk.
Amanda and Alexis Hubbard release a lantern in memory of their grandfather.
Awaken from West End Baptist Church Drama Team
Singer Mary Beth Porter performs.
Jemison Varsity cheer performs.
Clanton Middle School performs.
Hype Cheer and Athletics performs.
William and Angela Mallinson with daughter Elle.
By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer
This year’s Chilton County Relay For Life raised $57,449.
Funds were raised by teams through various means and events leading up to the main Relay event on May 3.
Quenita Mitchell, the American Cancer Society community manager for Chilton County, said the team that raised the most funds this year was Pleasant Grove Baptist Church #1 with $13,708.
A Spirit of Relay Award was presented at the event to Tina Trammell, a teacher at Jemison Intermediate School, in recognition of her work with the students to raise more than $4,000.
“I really appreciate them,” Mitchell said. “For an intermediate school … that was a large amount.”
Although the final amount was short of this year’s goal, Mitchell said she is still pleased with the results.
“I am excited,” Mitchell said.
She said since this was her first year as community manager, she had been unsure what to expect.
“I think we had a great turnout,” Mitchell said, of the May 3 Relay.
She especially enjoyed talking to attendees and the vendors as well as the food from Bone’s Backstreet BBQ during the survivor banquet.
“I was moved by the performance by West End (Baptist Church drama team),” Mitchell said.
New for this year was the addition by ACS of #GoldTogether teams across the country to raise funds for childhood cancer research.
In Chilton County, West End Baptist Church formed this team calling it Going #GoldTogether for God’s Children. Plans are to have this team again next year and to continue to raise awareness about childhood cancer and how it impacts a community.
Mitchell said every cancer patients need a community of support, but children especially do.
For next year, Mitchell wants to have more volunteers and find those “who not only have a passion for American Cancer Society but also those who have a servant’s heart.”
The committee will have a wrap up meeting on June 17 at 6 p.m. at Peach Park. Mitchell said this would also be a good opportunity for anyone who is interested in volunteering with Relay or serving on the committee.
The RFL committee is also starting work on the “Real Men Wear Pink” Campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research and patient support, which will be held in October. Mitchell said she hopes to find 10 men this year who will commit to the fundraiser.
For more information, email Mitchell at quenita.mitchell@cancer.org.
