| © copyright 2006, All content and works posted on this website are owned by Laura Donmoyer, and the Lebanon County Relay For Life Committee. No reproduction or redistribution of content in any form without the express written permission of the copyright holders. This site is not produced or maintained in any way by the American Cancer Society. All logos are owned and copyrighted by the American Cancer Society, Inc. All rights reserved. |
| Every year in the warmth of May, our 95+ registered teams consisting of 8-15 members, gather together at Cedar Crest High School to take turns walking or running around the track, relay-style, for a full 24 hours. In rain, sleet, wind, and sometimes sun, we continue to walk, to signify the fact that cancer does not sleep. It does not rest. It does not stop. And will not do so until we can find a cure. We kick off our grand event at 6:00 pm with a special team lap. The teams “get the party started” by circling the track, whooping and singing, as their names are read by our emcee, Phil Lyles. The jubilation continues as the attending cancer Survivors, decked out in “purple” fashion, immediately take the track for their celebratory lap. They always know how to keep it kicked up a notch as they circle the track in victorious glee that they have, or are, conquering this dreaded disease. At 9:00 pm, the festivities pause as family and friends gather together to honor the memory of those who have lost their battle to cancer. Bagged votives are purchased and then lit during this solemn ceremony by family & friends. Songs are sung by special guests, as the names of each recipient are read by emcees, Phil Lyles and Dave Mohl. It is a very spiritual, and moving service, and one that makes the Relay event so special. These luminaria votives are left to burn through the night, and into daylight as a sign of the main reason we all continue to… Relay For Life. There are many things to do through the night. At midnight, recipients take part in our ever-popular Miss Relay Pageant. Male contestants dress in their stunning best, and solicit funds from the crowd for a 1 hour period. At the end of that hour, the funds are collected, tallied, and the person collecting the most $$ is crowned Miss Relay! Besides the pageant, there are so many other activities through the night… we have contest laps like the funny hat lap, boxer shorts lap, and the bad hair contest. We sing along with the live bands, play volleyball, and teams perform Cancer Control skits. There’s so much to do, you’ll never find time to sleep! |
| As the lights burn slowly out, and daylight greets the walkers still circling the track, the light of hope in our hearts stays lit strong. The day begins with many activities; all geared towards fun and our youth. These youngster represent the future of Relay, and they are strongly encouraged to take part in as much of the festivities as they possibly can handle. So much is packed into the day, starting with a visit from our Relay theme personality and the Hershey characters, to an ice cream social, the Road to Recovery Race, karaoke, a tent decorating contest, swimming, bingo, and SO MUCH MORE! There’s so much to do, it would be hard to say you got bored. Saturday ends with all the teams gathering together for the closing ceremony, the revelation of how much Lebanon County has raised this year, and then a final lap of fellowship before members leave to begin planning their fund-raisers for the next season. |
| We all have a story to tell... tell us your story of hope and inspiration. We'd love to hear it! |
| Each one of us has our own personal reasons to Relay… whether it be a family member, friend or even ourselves who has been diagnosed with Cancer. Most of us have had the happiest of outcomes with our battle, but some of us have had to face the reality of losing someone we loved. |
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| RELAY FOR LIFE of Lebanon County |
| Regardless of the outcome, we all know for a fact, how difficult it is to face cancer. We have all endured our share of endless hours of looking at magazines and hospital walls while undergoing procedures and chemotherapy, and the days of nausea that follow those treatments. The weeks and months it takes for the hair to grow back in, and the seemingly endless supply of needles we’re yet to be stuck with. Those of us who haven’t personally endured it, still may have had to sit idly by, not able to take away the pain - or the disease, but just holding the hands of the people we love as they continue to fight. Or even… as they slowly slip away to their final sleep. This is what we aim to someday put a stop to… the pain, the hurt, the helplessness. We are determined to make cancer a treatable disease, and with every dollar we raise, we get that much closer to making this a reality. We hope that the day we all dream about is right around the corner, so we continue doing what we do, to get to where we want to be. We hope that others will follow our lead! |