By Lori Ehde
Those who have experienced the lighting of 3,000 luminaries against the backdrop of a twilit summer sky say Relay for Life is a touching event to be part of.
For cancer survivors and their loved ones and for those who have lost loved ones to cancer, the luminaries, the overnight regimen and the morning sunrise all hold a deeper symbolic meaning.
Luverne’s second annual Relay for Life is Friday and Saturday, and it promises all the successes of last year's event with the hope of better weather.
Relay for Life is the trademark fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the world's largest non-profit health organization committed to cancer research, education and service.
According to Luverne's Relay for Life co-chair Nancy Kaczrowski, local donors may not see the organization as a local cause, but she said everyone is affected by cancer.
"The money goes for cancer research and education," she said, "and indirectly, some of that money comes back to our local patients in the form of 1-800 number help lines and support groups."
Plus, if a cure for cancer is found, everyone benefits.
Last year, Luverne Relay for Life participants formed 41 teams and raised $49,000 - a phenomenal result for a first time event.
Those efforts earned Luverne organizers a special award from the Cancer Society, considering new communities are expected to form only 15 teams and raise $15,000.
"That was just icing on the cake," Kaczrowski said. "It shows the community was extremely supportive."
So far this year, 32 local teams have raised $30,000, and more fundraising will take place on the track throughout Friday night into the morning Saturday. The goal this year is to raise $50,000.
Teams of eight to 10 people will start walking Friday night and at least one member from each team continues circling the track until Saturday morning.
Team members not walking can rest or participate in all-night events and entertainment.
"You get a little tired, but it's a small price to pay if we can soon find a cure for cancer," said Luverne’s Vicki Baartman, who participated in last year's Relay for Life. "It’s also a lot of fun."
The fundraiser is set up as an overnight event to signify the journey cancer patients go through.
The first Relay for Life was started by Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Wash., who in 1985 ran and walked around a university track for 24 hours raising $27,000 for the American Cancer Society.
People's daylight dims to night when their happy, healthy lives are affected by a cancer diagnosis. They enter darkness as treatment makes them sick and exhausted, both physically and emotionally. But, the sun starts to rise on their lives again when they realize the tumor is shrinking and their health and strength begins to return.
Kaczrowski said one of the most striking things she remembers about last year's Relay for Life in Luverne was the Survivor's Walk, in which local cancer survivors make their way once around the track to kick-off the relay. Balloons are released as they go.
"I couldn't believe how many they were, and so many of them I didn't even know had cancer," Kaczrowski said. "They were people who have been in my classes, they were my friends, people I played bridge with. I had no idea."
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a supper by Glen's Food Center, and it wraps up at 7 a.m. with a breakfast by Jubilee Foods following the sunrise service and closing ceremonies. The meals are open to the public.