PEMBROKE — Whitewater Region Relay for Life is amalgamating with Petawawa Relay for Life at the Pembroke Memorial Centre starting this year.
“It is with great pleasure that I get to announce an amazing change to the 2018 Relay for Life fundraising event in Renfrew County,” said Roger Martin, the county’s community officer.
The community office, provincial office, volunteers and stakeholders, have been collaborating for months on a change that will raise the roof on Relay for Life, he said.
“We will be amalgamating the Petawawa Relay and Beachburg Relay into a Mega Relay for Life, and relocating it to Pembroke at the Pembroke Memorial Center,” Mr. Martin said.
This new location will provide, not only a roof for inclement weather, but an entire new focus on Relay, with a new elevated track and Relay for Life Village on the surface below, he explained.
By becoming more central within the county, the hope is that it will be more accessible to more businesses and family teams, to get involved in the fight against cancer which touches one in every two Canadians in their lifetime, he said.
The 5-year survival rate is now at 63 percent compared to less than 40 percent before Relay started over 18 years ago, with some cancers like thyroid as high as 97 percent survival rate. You’re doing great, but let’s keep fighting, he stressed.
“We are so excited to take our two Relays and join forces and work together as one team to fight back against cancer,” Mr. Martin said. “Your dedication and passion to the cause and the community, will ensure we have a successful Relay for Life 2018.”
To register, please go to www.relayforlife.ca or call the office for more information, 613-735-2571.
