Relay tops $100,000

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After surpassing its original fundraising goal by more than $18,000, Highland County Relay for Life announced a little over a month ago that it was setting its sights higher and aiming for $100,000.

Cindy Wilson, a co-chair for this year’s Relay with Cheryl McGee, said last Friday the official figures showed Highland County Relay for Life raised $100,043 for last year.

“We just wanted to let everyone know and say thank you to to the community, the volunteers, the teams and everyone that helped out,” Wilson said.

The local Relay for Life teams raise money throughout the year, but their biggest event is the annual walk that coincides with several other fundraisers that run from early Friday evening to Saturday afternoon each year at the Highland County Fairgrounds in June. This year’s event continued through the night despite rain that started falling not long after the event started and continued overnight, forcing it to be moved indoors.

It was the third year in a row that weather forced the event inside or postponed it.

“Highland County showed me what passion looks like and I sincerely want to thank all of you for your efforts,” Melinda Daniel, the American Cancer Society staff partner for Highland County Relay for Life, said in a newsletter. “Each and every one of you played a role in the success of the 2015 event and I cannot wait to see what 2016 has in store for this community. Highland County achieved such great success this year, not only beating your financial goal, but also beating team and participant goals through 18 hours of rain!

“Before we move forward for 2016, I just want to give a final thank you, thank you, thank you times a million to you volunteers, committee members, team captains, team members, sponsors, community members and those who donated their time and services. Without all of you this event would not be possible and millions of lives would not be saved from this horrible disease called cancer.”

Twenty-five teams and 322 individuals participated in this year’s Highland County Relay for Life.

The local Relay’s original goal this year was to raise $80,000, but when it found out in late August that it had raised $98,299, it decided to shoot for the $100,000 mark.

The top three fundraising teams, in order of finish, for 2015 in the Family & Friends category were Cows for a Cure, Charlie’s Angels and Beat Cancer; in the corporate category, NCB, Merchants National Bank and Hobert Helping Hands; and in the Small Business category, Southern State Cancer Crusaders, Greenfield Adena Medical Center and Highland District Hospital.

Teams starting raising funds for 2016 on Sept. 1 of this year. There will be a meeting for local Relay committee members only on Oct. 15, then the Highland County Relay For Life kick off for next year will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Hillsboro Church of Christ. Wilson said cancer survivors, new teams, anyone thinking about having a team but not sure about it, volunteers, or anyone else interested in helping in any way is encouraged to attend.

Next year’s Relay in Highland County will be held June 24-25 at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro.

For more information visit www.relayforlife.org/highlandcounty.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Participants are pictured last June at the start of the Highland County Relay for Life at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/10/web1_Relay-pic.jpgParticipants are pictured last June at the start of the Highland County Relay for Life at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
Next year’s event will be June 24-25 at fairgrounds

By Jeff Gilliland

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