by Kimberly Jacobson
Walkers take a moment to look at the lighted luminarias during the Relay For Life Friday. The American Cancer Society’s eighth annual Relay For Life of Anacortes had raised $136,273.44 as of Saturday morning and donations are still coming in. Visit http://www.relayforlifeofanacortes.org.
Even after being up all night, Relay For Life participants still had enough energy to cheer on teams in the float parade Saturday morning.
And to celebrate another step in the fight against cancer — raising $136,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The 16-hour overnight event at the Cap Sante Boat Haven featured live music, themed laps and a special luminaria ceremony. The eighth annual Relay For Life of Anacortes kicked off with a blessing by the Samish Indian Nation Friday night.
“Relay For Life is about being a community that takes up the fight against cancer,” said Claudia Buckner, Relay co-chair.
Jim Kight, a Relay volunteer, asked participants to look around at the track, team tents and crowd of participants. “Look how it has grown and look how it has matured,” he said of the event.
He said similar groups in past years each average 1,100 years of cancer survival. “What you do has given us 1,100 more birthdays this year,” Kight said.
The Whidbey Island Marine color guard led the survivor’s lap and then the teams were off.
When they weren’t walking, teams could stop by the Purple Power for a Cure tent and donate to try to hit the dunk tank bull’s-eye (which for an hour sent Anacortes Police Chief Bonnie Bowers into the water), send people to the Wrestlers for Life jail to be bailed out with donations or check out the silent auction.
Visit http://www.relayforlifeofanacortes.org.
