By Connie Tabbert
Editor
BEACHBURG – Eighty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixty dollars and 10 cents. In figures, that number looks like $83,860.10.
That is how much money was raised at the first Whitewater Relay for Life held in Beachburg overnight Friday, June 20.
“It was a phenomenal night,” said Roger Martin, who is the manager for the Canadian Cancer Society office in Pembroke. “There was so much energy that night. It was electrical. There was a desire for everyone to achieve a common goal.”
The organizing committee did a fantastic job, he said. While the organizing is done in bits and pieces, when it’s time for the event, it all came together for them, he added.
The goal for the fundraiser was $30,000, Mr. Martin said. With that goal in mind, it would have been great to have $45,000 raised.
“We absolutely blew that figure right out of the water,” he said. “We raised $83,860.10 and it’s still climbing.”
It’s not unusual to go over the goal set for a first time event, but to almost triple that goal is amazing, he added.
“I think the participants were just so excited that this type of event was finally in an area near them,” Mr. Martin said. “There was no travel involved and they could easily help out the organizing committee. From there, the energy just flowed. Because it’s a first time event, people were very passionate about it.”
There were 32 teams with 320 participants, Mr. Martin said.
The opening event saw honourary cancer survivor Lisa Bradbury recall her battles with cancer and how she continues to be a survivor. Then there were others who told about their fight, he added.
This was followed by the survivor lap, Mr. Martin said.
“Anyone who is a survivor walks one way on the loop and the caregivers, friends and family walk the other way,” he said. “When they meet in the middle, they all walk together in one direction. It’s very emotional.”
He understands when people say it’s very difficult for them to attend an event such as this. However, for some people it provides closure. It’s an opportunity to be surrounded by 300 people who have experienced the same emotions, he explained.
“When you hear people talk about what they went through, it’s ok to share your story,” he said. “You can identify with them. It’s also a way to figure out what the next step is. Events like this can help people move forward.”
Mr. Martin said there is usually one survivor per team. At this event, there were 39 survivors walking the survivor’s lap.
This is also an event that cannot happen without corporate sponsorship, he said. This year it was Scotiabank. Then there are other various sponsors, he said.
For those participants who made it through the night, they were treated to breakfast courtesy of Jamieson Travel in Beachburg. M & R Feeds sponsored the illuminaries while MacGregor Concrete sponsored the entertainment. Beach-West Pharmacy / Rex-all sponsored the Survivor Lap while the site sponsor was the Beachburg Fair Board. The media sponsor was Star-96 while Sun Sign Graphics provided the signage and the Hen House sponsored the lap beads.
Lap beads make it easy to keep track of how many laps each participant walks, Mr. Martin said. Each participant is provided with a length of string and each time they walk a lap, they take a bead out of a jar. This year, a commemorative medal was also given to each participant, he added.
“It’s like pride in a bowl,” he said.
Mr. Martin said the $83,000 raised will be sent to Toronto, but will only be used by the cancer society in Renfrew County.
“Expenses are directly impacted by what we have in our bank account,” he said.
The Whitewater Relay for Life will now be an annual event within the township, Mr. Martin said.
