Vol 22 No 12
Linking Island Communities Together With Community Powered Stories and Events
June 18, 2014
Area Communities Come Together For RELAY FOR LIFE
432 luminaries light up the track at Community Gardens Complex
Once again, the community of Kensington has embraced the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. This year the event, held June 7th, raised over $34,000. For the first time, the noncompetitive, fundraising event was held on a Saturday and it attracted a lot of supporters. More than 130 people took part on eleven teams decked out in colourful costumes. A special reception was held to honour sixty-two cancer survivors. The survivors, wearing bright yellow t-shirts then led the way with the first victory lap around the track. “The cancer survivors are an inspiration and a symbol of hope to all participants. They are proof that cancer can be beaten,” says Gail MacDonald, Canadian Cancer Society Relay Coordinator. Relay For Life is a time to celebrate, remember
Celebrate and Fight Back
and fight back. It’s about celebrating those who have survived cancer, but it’s also a time to remember those we’ve lost. That can be difficult and sad but the Canadian Cancer Society says the luminary ceremony is a∂ way of showing they are not forgotten. At dusk, the track at the Community Gardens Complex was encircled with 432 luminaries. Each one carried the name of a person who has had cancer or was in memory of someone who lost their battle. “It’s very emotional to see all the luminaries and to read the names on the bags,” says Jayna Stokes, a volunteer on the organizing committee. “Even if you don’t know the person, you know how special each luminary is to someone.” As part of the “Fight Back Ceremony” a petition was signed and delivered to Mayor Gordon
Fight Back
Coffin, who will pass it on to the
cont’d on p. 2 Mayor Coffin receives petition to ban sale of flavoured tobacco which he will take to the provincial government. Wendy Dickieson holds a luminary in memory of her husband Charles.