Hanover Raceway hosted the fifth annual Bluewater Regions final Relay For Life 12-hour marathon walk for cancer featuring 41 teams on Friday night. This year’s event raised $89,219.67 for cancer research with more still to come
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Event Chairs Patti Golem and Vicky Boyington said once all the money raised has been turned in, they expect to top $700,000 raised in the five-year history of the Hanover event.
The 2010 event was kicked off by Honorary Chair Bob Schaus, who not only led the first lap of the half-mile Hanover Raceway track, called the Survivors lap, but he also gave an emotional and very positive speech to the close to 500 people in attendance. Schaus said when he was first diagnosed with cancer his doctors told him he had two and a half years to live, and he’d better get his affairs in order. However, he said there were two Hanover doctors that refused to give up and thanks to a breakthrough chemotherapy treatment, he said, "I’m proof that you can battle back from the deepest depths of cancer, and live."
Schaus said he just finished a treatment of chemotherapy last week, and has one more session to go. He also thanked the many friends who have given him the support he’s needed the past many months, and said it's events like the Relay For Life that is making cancer treatment somewhat affordable so more lives can be saved.
Strong winds during this year's event caused havoc for many teams, who tried to put up their tents before the 7 p.m. start. A cold front also blew through the area, dropping the temperature significantly from the early 20 degree Celsius range in the afternoon to what felt like single digit temperatures overnight. Despite the weather, the teams took part in many activities during the night including bingo and a scavenger hunt, and enjoyed a range of entertainment on a stage donated by Steinman Transport.
Golem said many businesses provided sponsorship dollars and donations, including food, to make this event a success, but it was the people like the Lions Club who showed up at 7 a.m. to help clean up, the many volunteers, committee members and the participants that make this event such a success.
(With files from Hanover)