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Relay for Life raises $30,000 for ongoing battle against cancer

June 29, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

Close to 100 local residents helped to light up the night on June 15 as Dufferin Relay for Life enjoyed another successful year at Orangeville District Secondary School.

The event took over the local high school’s sports field for a second straight year, with event organizer Karen Beaulieu informing the Citizen that 78 participants had banded together to raise more than $30,700 in 2018.

“It was a fantastic event once again this year,” Ms. Beaulieu said. “We were extremely pleased with the turnout, there were lots of familiar faces. Really, we won twice this year. Everyone had a lot of fun, and we managed to raise another phenomenal amount to go towards cancer research.”

The top individual fundraiser this year was Andrea Roome-Cameron, who celebrated her sixth Relay. The team captain of Andy’s Bosom Buddies, Andrea raised a whopping $2,217.40 according to the Relay for Life website.

Relay for Life holds a special place in Andrea’s heart. While she fought off breast cancer in 2012, her mother lost her life after being diagnosed with lung cancer over 20 years ago. Now, Andrea says she walks not only to celebrate surviving her diagnoses, but also to remember and honour the woman who raised her.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate. Every one of us has surely been touched by this hideous disease. People we all know and love – family, friends, or perhaps even yourself have fought or continue to fight this disease,” Ms. Roome-Cameron wrote on her Relay page.

The top fundraising team this year was the Marching Mark’s, representing St. Mark’s Anglican Church in town. They raked in $5,345. Other notable raisers were Andy’s Bosom Buddies ($4,524.90), Lights for Lesley ($3,594.80) and The Triple C ($3,438.50). Aside from Andrea, other individual fundraisers to breach the $1,000 mark included Nancy Claridge ($1,936), Tara Filardi ($1,204.50), Susan Willnecker ($1,187) and Cynthia Clark ($1,028).

While this year’s offering fell short of last year’s final total of $51,000, that wasn’t totally unexpected. The 2017 Relay for Life served as a memoriam of sorts for former ODSS principal Darryl Kirkland, who passed away on Jan. 27 of last year following a four and a half year battle with cancer. The event was moved to ODSS in Darryl’s honour, having previously taken place at the Orangeville Fairgrounds.

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