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Orangeville Relay For Life cancer fundraiser coming June 14

June 6, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Makayla Pereira

Orangeville Relay For Life is celebrating their 10th anniversary on June 14 as they kick off another evening of fighting back against cancer.

On Friday, June 14, the Canadian Cancer Society will be hosting relay for life at the Orangeville Lions Club Sports Park on Diane Drive. 

The walk will being with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m. and will continue on until 11 p.m. with a variety of different activities throughout the night.

“Relay is more than a fundraiser. It’s a chance to come together and celebrate the survivors in our communities, who send a powerful message of hope for those living with the disease. Signing up for Relay helps us make life easier for people affected by cancer, and fund game-changing research that can change the outcomes for those affected. With your help, we can continue our life-saving work and make a difference for more people than ever before,” says the Canadian Cancer Society on its website.

To date Relay for Life Orangeville teams have raised just over $9,000 for this year’s walk, Karen Beaulieu at the cancer society says they have a goal of raising $28,000 minimum.

“It’s been eight years since I was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma cancer (bcc) skin cancer,” says Cindy Guido.

Ms. Guido got involved in Relay For Life after she was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer, she volunteered at Robert F Hall CSS Relay for Life in Caledon for many years, she explains how amazing it was to see these high school students getting involved in such a great cause.

Ms. Guido is now part of the organizing committee for the Orangeville Relay for Life.

Ms. Guido say how inspirational it is to see a whole network of people come together to support one another in the fight against cancer.

The Relay for Life walk was adopted from the American cancer society 20 years ago and is then Canadian Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event. Since then Relay for life has raised money to fund a variety of different programs and trials for cancer patients. 

One program that stands out is Wheels of Hope, sometimes it’s hard for cancer patients to get to their appointments for a variety of reasons. Wheels of Hope was created to help an eligible client with their short-term travel to attend cancer-specific medical appointments or supportive care services.

“All of this could not be possible without our fundraising efforts, and particularly our Relay for Life event, the money from this event makes a difference in the lives of those in Orangeville.”

The Wheels of Hope program has been able to continue because of the funds raised at Relay For Life.

Ms. Beaulieu explained that most of the Wheels of Hope drivers are like Ms. Guido, they’re looking for a way to give back and pay it forward now that they are able to. 

In 2018 the Dufferin Wheels of Hope program provided over 5,000 trips to cancer treatment appointments for 181 clients in York Region and Dufferin, this wouldn’t have been possible without the 87 volunteer drivers and the funds raised by the Canadian cancer society events.

“The funds raised also support clinical trials taking place at Southlake Region Health Centre, there are so many survivors because of these clinical trials,” says Ms. Beaulieu

Ms. Beaulieu and Ms. Guido have worked to create a fun-filled evening for a great cause, there will be a variety of different themed laps for participants and performances throughout the night.

Relay for Life is a great way to bring the community of Orangeville together in supporting those fighting against cancer. For those interested in being a part of relay for life you can sign up online at the Canadian Cancer Society.

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