A change in location did little to diminish the success of the Estevan Relay for Life.
The 2011 relay was the latest in a long line of tremendous events for the dedicated team of volunteers as they raised over $127,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society during the 12-hour event which began Saturday night.
While the success of the relay was nothing new, this year's event did feature a little wrinkle as organizers were forced to move from their usual location at the Estevan Comprehensive School to the Civic Auditorium because of the wet spring.
Although the move indoors left the participants with much less space than usual, all involved banded together to make the best of the situation.
"Everybody I have talked to, in particular the survivors, were very excited and positive about the (change)," said Tina Bird who, along with Hailee Dayman, was the co-chair of the relay committee. "A lot of them stayed until two in the morning visiting and chatting and actually walking the track."
Normally the home to Estevan's various hockey teams, the Auditorium proved to be a solid host for the relay. The various teams were able to set up in the centre of the arena floor while the walking track encircled the makeshift campground. In fact, organizers made full use of the area, with a reception area for the survivors in the lobby and other relay mainstays such as the Survivors' Garden and the cancer knowledge zone.
"We made the best of it. Everybody had fun and enjoyed themselves," said Bird. "Considering the amount of time we had to put the venue together, I think it was awesome. There were quite a few survivors that initially weren't going to come and once they found it was inside and they were protected from the elements, they came.
"And this was the first year I have ever seen survivors on the track at two in the morning. There was a lot of comments from people that had they known it was going to be inside they would have put a team in," Bird said.
The festivities began shortly after seven o'clock with the opening ceremonies which included an emotional speech from this year's honourary chairwoman Tessa Young. One of the 114 cancer survivors in attendance at the relay, Young spoke about her cancer journey and her ongoing battle. She also sent an important message to those in attendance about paying attention to what your body is trying to tell you and not hesitate if they feel something isn't right.
"If you feel like something is wrong, get it checked out," she said. "Our bodies tell us when something isn't right and we need to listen. It won't hurt to get it looked at but it might hurt not to."
Following the opening ceremonies was the survivors' lap, which is always among the highlights as the various survivors join together in celebrating their fight against the dreaded disease.
Other highlights included the fight back ceremony, entertainment from local artists and the victory lap that rounded out the relay Sunday morning.
In all, Bird said there were 249 participants and 150 volunteers involved with the relay. Although their financial total was short of their goal of $150,000, Bird estimates they will top out at $135,000.
"When you break it down that is over $512 and the average is around $300 per participant around Saskatchewan."
Bird added that anyone who has yet to submit their pledges will have until the end of August to get them. People still wishing to make a pledge can do so by contacting any of the relay participants.
