Relay for Life - American Cancer Society

This post is near and dear to my heart. YHH wanted to recognize those who put together a great cause and those who participated.

Relay for Life is an event which takes place at a high school in Michigan. It has been a large event for several years. This was the first time my husband and I had been involved in such an event. It saddens me the reason why we participated and the fact we weren't involved until it personally hit home. My husband and I have been members of our church band for over 7 years. Another band member, a fellow guitar player who became a very close friend through the years, was diagnosed with cancer. It was a total shock. He entered the hospital for an exploratory surgery thinking he had a colon blockage and it would be removed. The results: you name the cancer, he had it. It was everywhere. Two weeks prior, we were at their house at a wine tasting party with wines he made himself. Six months later (this past September) he went to be with Jesus and play in the biggest praise and worship team imaginable. Or not imaginable. Beyond!

Relay for Life uses the high school track to set up booths all around the track. Each booth is sponsored by families, business, or groups. Our friend was the principal at this school for quite some time. A few years prior they also lost a math teacher to breast cancer. The booth we participated with, added our friend this year to make it for both families. As both last names start with an F they chose "F4" as the team name. Faurot (Fa-row), Finch, Friends and Family. Each year there is also a theme to the event. It just so happened it was "Rockin Relay", which due to Ron loving his guitar, it was only fitting!

Each booth, or "team" of people design t-shirts and sweatshirts which are then wore at the event (ours shown here). To also raise money, each booth hosted games, bake sales, grilling burgers and dogs, selling pizza, Mardi gras beads, flashing pins, glow sticks and bracelets, whatever you could think of. It was much like a carnival atmosphere. Some even walked in costumes on the track. I could have walked for hours just people watching.

In honor of your family/friend teams have someone on the track at all times. Some raising money for each mile or lap, others just in honor of someone and spending money as they go around and around and around. I walked for about an hour and a half (spent quite a few dollars, had to have the beads and a flashing guitar pin). I would have done more if I had known how amazing this event was going to be, but sadly was not prepared.

So what really made it amazing? The people. It was not the best weather this year. For about two hours it down poured. No one stopped. People walked, with and without shoes, games were played and the music continued to crank out the track speakers. This event started at 3PM on this past Friday and continued until Saturday at 3PM. And yes, you could walk for 24 hours. Those people were given a "24 Hour Walker" shirt. They can only break for bathroom and food. This is something I would love to participate in. How many miles do you think that could possibly be? It's got to be a ton!

As the sun went down and the track grew dark, it was then lit by luminaries. White bags decorated in honor of those who have been lost and those who have survived. This could not have been more powerful. And PRAISE GOD the rain stopped for this event. The track was lined in some places both sides. A large monitor screen was set at the end of the track and ran a list of all the names. People gathered and watched as the names scrolled.

One of the reasons YHH wanted to share this powerful story with you is it's an event which can be found in lots of small towns near you. Something you can do with your family. Even if you choose to eat a few home made cookies for a great cause, you can eat and walk. Without even planning out our day, we walked about 6 miles and could have done more. What a powerful way to show your family about health, caring for others, and having a good day bonding together with your community. YHH is also going to be adding a link to our site to take you directly to this event. You can check out photo albums, read more in-depth on the event, and make pledges and donations. This will be a forever link on our site as we are joining together in the fight against cancer.

I leave you with my friends luminary. Ron, you are much missed!!

Quoting a friend from yesterday: Me: "Wow, this is amazing". Cory: "This is amazing, but would have been more amazing, if Ron were here doing it with us."