Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back

Another relay has come and gone.

Being on the Relay for Life committee was a challenge for me this year. All the meetings were at 8pm and Nick works nights so I had to drag Shasta to them with me. Eventually I had to stop going to them altogether because she goes to bed between 7:30 and 8pm.

This year I was the Team Development Retention Chair. (Same position I did last year). And Shasta was my co-chair. She came to all the Team Captain Meetings with me and motivated everyone to keep their focus! Even with all of her efforts, we still didn't reach our [unrealistic] goal of $40,000, but we brought in over $19,000 for the American Cancer Society.

 The committee does a Penny War every year. Each team puts pennies in their own jar and silver change/dollars in other team's jars. Pennies are good points and everything else subtracts the good points. The team that wins the Penny War gets all the money collected from the competition to add to their fundraising efforts for the event. It's been a successful onsite fundraiser for the last three years. It always brings in around $250 in change.

 This year I decided to make Shasta a 'homeless sign' to see if we could get any donations. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling good at all so I didn't end up taking her around to see if she would get any money.

 She sure is cute though!

This is my good friend, Erin. She's our staff partner with the American Cancer Society. She made Shasta the onesie that she's wearing. I was so excited when Shasta got a committee shirt like the rest of us. She came the weekend after relay last year so she was kind of our honorary committee member this year. Everyone on the committee adores her, (how could they not?!?) so it was fun for me that she got to be recognized as a member of the committee too!

The event started at 6pm and closing ceremony started at 6am. The last 4 years I've stayed awake the whole night including last year while I was pregnant and this year with being a mother. I left around 6:30am (mostly because my goods were full of milk and it was killing me), but also because I still had to get up and be a mom. I felt bad skipping out on the cleanup part of the event, but in the end I was glad I did because I went to bed at 7am and was back up at 10:30am with Shasta.

Relay was a little bitter sweet this year. I'm not sure if I'll get to do it again next year. I want to, more than anything I want to, but it was hard this year with Nick working evenings and Shasta will be a toddler which will make it even more difficult to take her to the meetings. If the meetings are earlier then I think I can make it work by getting a sitter, but if they run during bedtime again then it probably won't work.

I love being on the committee and don't think I can ever really give it up. Relay is an emotional roller coaster, but it's the best ride I get on every year. All of us know someone who's had cancer, whether it be family, friends, or an acquaintance of some kind, it literally affects all of us in some way. That's why I'm committed to helping fund a cure. I never want to hear those three dreaded words; you have cancer. And more than that, I never want my children to hear those words. That's why I will continue to be involved, even if I don't get to be on the committee every year I will find other ways to celebrate with those who have won their battle, remember those who died, and fight back with those currently battling cancer.