The parking lot at the Becker Community Center was filled with activity last Friday evening as the 2015 “Relay for Life of Becker®” hosted a group of 13 teams and individual participants in the annual effort to raise funds for cancer research.
The event drew an estimated $63,000 in donations for the fight against cancer, according to event co-chairperson Cory Whiting. Leading the effort with Whiting were her fellow co-chair Carrie Olson, Treasurer Ann Sura, “survivor” chair Nancy Weber, advocacy chair Jay Whiting and Kate Steinbach, community manager for the American Cancer Society.
The program got underway at 6 p.m. with the singing of the National Anthem by Laura Niday, who is also a co-captain of one of the relay teams. The American Legion Honor Guard was unable to attend the ceremony this year, though Whiting was able to improvise and “present” a small American flag during the ceremony.
Pastor Mike Pancoast from South Santiago Lutheran Church gave the invocation asking for a blessing on the Relay and the participants as they worked towards their goal of eliminating cancer.
As the program progressed, organizers thanked the Big Lake Boys and Girls basketball programs for a $413.40 donation from the “Coaches versus Cancer” project at the school. A special award of a mountain of candy was presented to eight-year-old Bryce Roelike, who held a rummage sale he titled “Cancer Sucks: Relay for ‘Love” Life”. The effort raised a total of $4,125.10, Cory Whiting said.
A group of six honorary survivors from the “Becker School District group” were introduced by Becker High School Asst. Principal Mark Kolbinger before they had the honor of leading the annual “Survivor Lap” to begin the fund-raising marathon walk. Honorees for 2015 included Rebecca Kollman, Nancy Lorentz, Cindy Marholz, Sharon Meyer and Paula Pruszinske.
Among the teams taking part were the “Mike’s West Coast Ride” group led by Mike Garland, who completed a 3,800-mile ride from Clear Lake to Oregon and back in June, raising an estimated $11,000 in donations for the Relay and the American Cancer Society. Other teams and their captains included: “Avenging for a Cure”, Kami Ziebarth and Laura Niday; “Building Towards a Cure”, Fran Seeley and Judy Haus; “Circle of Friends”, Donna Pozorski; “Cutting Out Cancer”, Laura Brown; “GEL’s Angels”, Anita Lindblom; “Hunters For A Cure”, Carolyn Blomquist; “Korey & Julie’s Fight”, Korey Faust; “LC Crusaders”, Heather Lofgren and Eivonne Anderson; “Mighty Misfits”, Gabby Weber and AJ Whiting; “PD Defenders”, June Hubbard; “The Lone Wolf”, Chuck Olson and “Wild About a Cure”, Nancy Weber and Renee Woodard.
Entertainment for the evening included kids games, fire truck rides courtesy of the Becker Fire Dept., Dean-O-Mite DJ, a silent auction, scavenger hunt, “Mr. And Mrs. Relay” cross-dressing competition and a performance from the Starz Dance Studio directed by Jennifer Shaw.
The “luminaria” tributes to lost loved ones were lighted at 9 p.m., followed by the “Fight Back Ceremony” at 10:30 p.m. and the closing ceremony and final lap at midnight.
