Relay for Life raises whopping $52,000 for fight against cancer

One of the highlights of the Seventh Annual Lincoln County American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life was the Survivors' Walk, which is held every year to recognize those in the community who have fought the disease with courage and dignity and survived. The relay took place Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex.

By any standards, the Seventh Annual Lincoln County American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life was a tremendous success.

With a goal of $40,000, local residents labored for months to raise over $52,000 to help with the fight against cancer.

The grand finale of the fund-raising campaign was the relay, held Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex on Rowland-York Drive.

The 2008 relay began at 7 p.m. Friday and ended sometime during the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. All through the night, members of a record 15 teams, consisting of from eight to 15 people each, walked around the track to show support for the ACS and its mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.

A record 15 teams took the field at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex to show their support for the American Cancer Society's mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem, The Seventh Annual Relay for Life was a resounding success, raising over $52,000 for the fight against cancer.

The theme for the event was "Cancer is NO Vacation."

The teams recognized as raising the most money for the relay were as follows:

.. "Martin's Crossroads Youth - Ages 0 to 99" (Martin's Crossroads Congregational Holiness Church), $5,500.84. Hazel Poole, team captain.

.. "The Courthouse Crew," (Lincoln County Courthouse employees), $4,923. Brenda Danner McGahee, team captain.

.. "Cancer Commandos" (Ebenezer Baptist Church), $4,504.26. Debbie Tutt, team captain.

.. Price's Grove Baptist Church, $2,980.12. Rachel Hearst, team captain.

.. "BPs for the Cure of Cancer" (Bethany United Methodist Church and Pine Grove UMC), $2,838.50. Catherine Bowen, team captain.

Other teams participating in the relay were:

.. First Baptist Church. Nathaniel Leverette, team captain.

.. The LCHS Student Council. Daravious Cullars, team captain.

.. The Lincolnton UMC "Cowgirls." Paige Reed, team captain.

.. The Rocking R "Rockers" (Rocking R International, Inc.). Gail Wingate, team captain.

.. Mulberry C.M.E. Church. Travis Reid, team captain.

.. Pleasant Grove C.M.E. Church. Doris Blackwell, team captain.

.. "The St. Luke Saints" (St. Luke Baptist Church). Marveen Zellars, team captain.

.. "Lincoln Lifers '08" (comprised of cancer survivors in the county). Paula Henderson, team captain.

.. "Team Senior Beta" (LCHS Senior Beta Club). Kitty Ball, team captain.

.. "The Farmers State Bank Gang." Melissa Burgess, team captain.

The monies raised by these teams will be used to fund research, education, advocacy, and service programs sponsored by the ACS.

As in years past, one of the most meaningful events at the relay was the Luminary Ceremony, which gave participants the opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have survived cancer and pay tribute to those brave individuals who have been lost to the disease.

Prior to switching off the lights at the field, candles, placed around the track in weighted bags, were lit either in honor or in memory of a loved one who has struggled with cancer. The names of these special individuals were prominently displayed on the bags.

A new addition to the program this year was the "Balloons to Heaven" ceremony, during which walkers and spectators released helium-filled balloons, containing notes to loved ones, into the twilight.

Danielle Caldwell, community manager for the ACS, noted that the balloon ceremony was her favorite part of the evening. "It was so beautiful - it was a night I will never forget."

There was also the Survivors' Victory Lap, which took place at the conclusion of the opening ceremonies. In a poignant act, symbolizing what the relay is all about, approximately 45 cancer survivors walked around the track, cheered on by family and friends.

Following the Survivors' Victory Lap, the Caregivers' Walk was held to recognize those individuals, who offer their time, love, and support to help people, who are fighting cancer.

On a lighter note, the evening was filled with all kinds of activities including drawings, bull riding, roping, a silent auction, and a wonderful variety of musical entertainment.

Serving as co-chairmen of the 2008 Lincoln County ACS Relay for Life were Travis Reid and Brenda Danner McGahee.

The other members of the executive committee were Linda Willgus, Sponsorship; Carrie Parker and Marveen Zellars, Team Recruitment and Retention; Tawanda Cullars, Luminaries; Paula Henderson, Survivorship; Renee Guthrie, Accounting; Melissa Burgess, Jeremy Latimer, Liz Dunaway, and Daravious Cullars, Entertainment; Kathie Davis and Nelson Brooks, Logistics; Catherine Bowen, Website Manager; Kenny Adair and Crawford Asbell, DJs and Emcees; and Doris Blackwell, Debbie Tutt, and Hazel Poole, Relay Assistants.

On behalf of herself and Travis Reid, Brenda McGahee expressed her appreciation to all of the volunteers, the individual and corporate sponsors, the cancer survivors, the 15 teams, the executive committee, those who attended the relay, and the people of the county as a whole for making the event such a success.

"We are grateful for all of the support and help - one, two, or even 10 people can't do this - it takes everybody working together. It is overwhelming what a small community like Lincoln County can do when we come together."

McGahee concluded her remarks by pointing out that the 2008 Relay for Life would not have been possible without the individual and corporate sponsors, who contributed a total of $16,750, to help wage war against cancer.

The sponsors were:

Platinum Sponsors - Fast Times Enterprises, Inc. and the Prater Family Partnership III, LLLP.

Gold Sponsors - The Georgia Power Company, Newberry Baptist Church, Farmers State Bank, Cliatt Crossing, H & H Industrial Maintenance, Rocking R International, Inc., Wills Memorial Hospital, J & T Service Center, and an individual, who made a donation to the relay in loving memory of Beth Keener.

Silver Sponsors - The Twilight Improvement Association, Inc., the Lincoln County Chapter of the NAACP, St. Paul UMC, New Tabernacle Baptist Church, Faith Temple, Scott & Drew Construction, Golf de L, Wynn Masonry, Charles Owen, Inc., Midway Forest Products, Henderson Logging Company.

Wilkes Telephone & Electric Company, Huddle House of Lincolnton, Southern Line Services, Lincolnton Animal Hospital, Pennington Paint & Body Shop, Johnson Equipment and Rental, Doug Newman and State Farm Insurance, Michelle R. Harrison - Attorney at Law, Rayle EMC.

Broad River Realty, Aycock Truck Parts/Woodchip Transport, First Assembly of God, W.T. McWhorter III, Inc., Salem Baptist Church, Lincolnton Feed & Seed, El Portal Mexican Restaurant, Rowland & Ware Auto Parts, Inc., Lincolnton Welding & Machine, Inc., Big Country Surveying.

Farmers & Merchants Bank, Southern Cleaning Products, Inc., Lee Builders, Inc., Reed Ice/Reed Cylinders, Jeff and Sherri Easter, Lewis Bus Lines, Bell's Food Market, Mattison and Associates, Inc., Lincolnton Marine, Inc., Clay Turner Realty, Radio Shack of Lincolnton, and Wengrow's Pest Control.

In-Kind Sponsors - The Curry Colvin Recreation Complex, the City of Lincolnton, Papa's Pizza To-Go, Spratlin Hardware & Building Supply, Beggs Funeral Home, Clark's Plumbing, J & T Service Center, Fast Times Convenience Store, and Down South Construction.

In addition, several individuals and businesses also helped sponsor the tote bags that were presented to cancer survivors as they arrived at the relay. The tote bag sponsors were Barksdale Timber Company, Inc.; Beggs Funeral Home; Bradley Trucking, Inc.

City Pharmacy, Commercial Insurance Services, Inc.; DeFoor Realty; Hardees of Lincolnton; Harmony Baptist Church; donations in honor of Fran Spratlin, Lamar Turner, Douglas Turner, and Lonnie Martin; donations in memory of James Bailey and Russell Gibson.

The Jeweler's Bench; the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners; the Lincoln County Farm Bureau; Lincoln County Veterinary Services; Lincoln Loan Company/Lincolnton Finance Company; Lincolnton Auto Sales, LLC; the City of Lincolnton Volunteer Fire Department.

The Lincolnton-Lincoln County Ladies Fire Auxiliary; the Lincolnton- Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce; Moon Contracting; Norman's Upholstery; Pacer Global Logistics; Powell and Associates; Reed Propane, Inc.; Rees Funeral Home, Inc.; Robert Knox - Attorney at Law; and The Chicken House.

Others deserving special recognition for their assistance with the relay were the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, the Lincolnton Police Department, Lincoln County EMS, Kenny Adair, the Lincoln County Information Technology Department, and The Lincoln Journal.

For more information about the American Cancer Society and the services it offers, call 1-800-ACS- 2345 or visit the organization's website at www.cancer.org.