Relay For Life kicks off

The Mineral County Relay For Life got off to a running start Thursday when Mineral County residents gathered on the lawn of the Old School in Superior for the event kick-off.

“I really appreciate all of you that have come out to get this 2008 Relay For Life Kick-Off going,” said Ernie Ornelas, a medical professional who spoke at the event.

Juli Balenger, the Relay For Life organizer, said the main purpose of the kick-off was to get people excited about the event and to start to get teams signed up for the relay that will take place Aug. 8.

“It’s a great cause to try to help with,” Balenger said.

Relay For Life consists of fundraising teams of no more than 15 people, who raise money and then walk or run at a 24-hour event. The only rule at the event is that one member from each team must be on the track at all times. All of the money raised at Relay For Life goes to the American Cancer Society.

Kathy Velasquez, one of the event organizers, said they encourage each team member to raise $100, but there is no minimum amount of money to raise to participate in the event. She said team members who raise more money than that will get incentive prizes jackets, a tent or even an MP3 player.

The band Steppin’ Out played at the kick-off and there were plenty of games for kids to enjoy. Balenger organized a three-legged race, a potato-sack race and even a goldfish race. In the goldfish race, kids blew through a straw to chase goldfish down a gutter to a finish line. The racers were allowed to take their goldfish home.

The kick-off also included appearances by the Wicked Witch of the West, the Cowardly Lion and Smokey Bear. The Superior Fire Department attended the event and Sheriff Hugh Hopwood even had a goldfish race with Superior Fire Chief John Woodland.

Hopwood drew numbers to raffle off Relay For Life T-shirts, water bottles and other gear.

The use of the Old School for the event was donated by Muriah Derhagg. All of the food came from donations from Castles Grocery Store and private donors. The race track for the gold fish was donated by Cessna’s Hardware Store and built by Mark Grimm.

Ornelas gave a speech to the crowd about the dangers of cancer and how it is something everyone may have to deal with. He said that it is estimated there will be 5,090 new cases of cancer in Montana in 2008 and 1,970 deaths. He added that one in three people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.

“Relay For Life is really a life-changing event that brings our community here in Mineral County together. We do it to celebrate the lives of those that have fought hard against cancer and battled it,” Ornelas said.

He said the Great West Division of the ACS, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Arkansas and North Dakota, has 95 research grants in effect, totaling $38.8 million.

“We also come together to remember our loved ones that have lost that battle,” Ornelas said, who asked everyone in the crowd with a cell phone to pull it out and enter the number 1-800-227-2345 into their phone. He said this number is the ACS hotline and provides anyone with cancer information 24 hours a day, seven days a week year around.

Cancer survivor Deb Hankinson said getting information is one of the most important things someone who is diagnosed with cancer can do. She said that throughout her treatment, she did not know as much about her medical treatment as she would have liked to.

Hankinson was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, but Thursday’s celebration was a special one for her. Earlier that day, her doctor told her that she would not need chemotherapy treatments for another year.

Hankinson owns and operates a nail salon in the Old School building and she said she is just getting her customers back because she can now go to work full time again. Last year, Hankinson said she was a team captain at the Relay For Life but she missed the event because she was in the emergency room.

“It’s just wonderful to be able to volunteer. I’m glad I’m here, because I am a survivor,” Hankinson said.

She said that this event holds a special place in her heart because she has lost several family members to cancer.

Hankinson makes and sells jewelry and donates the funds to cancer charities. She said this year she will be donating all of the money she makes to St. Pat’s House, an organization that provides patients in the Mineral County Medical Center with somewhere to stay while undergoing chemo. Since she lives in Tarkio, Hankinson said the service was invaluable to her when she was dealing with chemotherapy treatments.

Balenger said that while the event was a big success, they still need more teams to sign up and more volunteers to help the event get moving. She said anyone interested in volunteering can attend their committee meetings at the Assembly of God Church at 6:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of every month. For more information on the committee, contact Kathy Velasquez at 728-1004.

Anyone wanting to start a relay team should contact Donna Chambers in Superior at 822-4050, or Terri Barclay in St. Regis at 214-1985.