Finley Swope draws a rainbow on a luminaria bag at the Saturday night Relay for Life event in Centralia.
Centralia Mayor Pro-tem Peter Abbarno speaks at the Relay for Life event on Saturday night in Centralia.
Patty Allee with Relay for Life thanks the fellow organizers of the event on Saturday night.
Luminaria bags line the sidewalks in Washington Park in Centralia during the Relay for Life event on Saturday evening.
Chehalis resident and cancer survivor Katie Foss and her husband attend the Relay for Life luminaria ceremony in Washington Park in Centralia on Saturday night.
The annual Relay for Life of Lewis County event looked different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the sentiment of honoring those who have died, who have recovered and who are battling cancer remained apparent.
Although the event changed. the fundraising efforts remained strong — $14,471 had been raised by the Relay for Life teams in Lewis County for the American Cancer Society. The total amount, not including the funds raised through the online silent auction that will close at the end of the month, is about $40,000, according to Amanda Ditzhazy, an event planner with the American Cancer Society.
The Relay for Life event and luminaria ceremony was held at Washington Park in Centralia at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. In years past, the Relay for Life event has been held at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds and cancer survivors
and their supporters would walk all night as the track was lit with luminaria to honor those who have passed.
There were about 50 people in attendance and the event featured a photo slideshow of past events, a speech by Centralia Mayor pro-tem Peter Abbarno, several songs sung by 2017’s Miss Lewis County Kennedy Woods and a prayer said by Allen Woods as illuminated paper bags lit the sidewalks in the park.
Chehalis resident and breast cancer survivor Katie Foss, who has been involved in Relay for Life for nine years, and her husband were in attendance. Foss’s fundraising team called “Team Katie” raised $1,122 to go toward the total being donated to the American Cancer Society.
“This event means a lot to me. I’m a survivor for almost nine years now. I think it’s great that they were able to put together an event this year. They put a lot of thought into it,” said Foss.
The American Cancer Society puts the money into cancer research, support of local wig banks, a free ride program to take patients to and from treatment and a 24/7 800-number that can be called if someone needs help with insurance or just needs support through a difficult time.
Patty Allee, a part of the Relay for Life event committee, has been working with the organization since 1987 and said she knows many people who have battled cancer, including her mother and father.
“Gordy Klatt, who was the founder of Relay for Life, he ended up passing from cancer and he walked all night long to raise money and that’s how the relay started,” said Allee.
Normally the event lasts about 18 hours and a member of each Relay for Life Team would be out walking on the track at all times and through the night.
Kathleen Gavin from Chehalis said that she attended the event to support Relay for Life and her daughter who survived kidney cancer. She said that the moment of silence to remember all those who were lost to cancer, while the luminaria is lit, is powerful.
In years past, Relay for Life of Lewis County has raised about $70,000 but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down fundraising efforts this year and fewer teams signed up to participate. The monthly Relay for Life meeting has been moved online to Zoom since the COVID-19 outbreak from their meeting space on the second floor of O’Blarney’s Irish Pub in Centralia.
“When you see survivors taking their survivor lap around the track and they have tears in their eyes, that’s really moving. It’s nice to see the community work together to support a cause,” said Ditzhazy.
The online auction concludes at the end of August and can be found on Facebook at “2020 Lewis County Relay for Life Auction.”
