Remembering, celebrating and fighting cancer
Relay For Life is Friday at MAC
By DONNA HICKMAN
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, July 20, 2008
It’s spelled “luminaria.” It’s pronounced “loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh” or “loo-mee-NAH-ryha.” Webster’s Dictionary defines it as a Christmas lantern with a lighted candle set in sand inside a paper bag. This time of year, luminaria in the Parkland don’t light the way to a holiday season. They light the way to a cure.
The Relay For Life of St. Francois County has featured the lanterns along the track since the Relay began in 1995. As many as 1,000 people may see them throughout the night. Each one tells a story.
“We have luminaria in honor of people who have just found out they have cancer and in honor of people who are longtime survivors,” said Dale Jones, co-chair with his wife Arlene of the Relay luminaria. “Others are for people who have died of cancer and the luminaria honor their memory.”
The Relay For Life is Friday at Mineral Area College. It benefits the American Cancer Society which funds services for families and research for a cure for cancer. It begins with music by Sheriff Dan and his Deputies at 5 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. It ends with closing ceremonies at 6 a.m. Saturday. Teams will have camp sites outside around a make-shift track they’ll take turns walking all night long.
The Jones family make the luminaria for the track. As orders come in for $5 each, they take pen in hand and write the name on each bag. They even write the names of their own family members who have battled cancer.
“We make them for her mother and dad and my sister, said Dale. “Arlene’s aunt in Florida and my sister send money to buy luminary for everybody in our family who has had cancer. We see people take pictures of their luminaria on the track to send to the family who can’t be at the Relay.”
Luminaria may still be purchased by calling the Joneses at 573-756-6197 or buy them at the Relay. The names will be read aloud at 9 p.m. and projected on a big screen as people on the track walk in silence and remember. This year’s Relay theme is “Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back.”
Marilyn Gann remembers her friends Marge Robbs and Tammy Heinemann with luminaria.
“Marge and I went to school together in Bonne Terre,” she said. “We graduated in 1950 and stayed friends all our lives. I was so close to her and I still grieve for her loss. Then, her daughter Tammy died of cancer on June 26. It’s a nasty disease and you hate to think of the people you love going through it.”
Gann is involved in the Relay this year for the first time as a member of The Marvinettes team. She’s baked and cooked to help them raise money for the Relay.
“It’s a good feeling to know you are doing something to wipe out this nasty stuff,” she said.
The Marvinettes will sell apple butter, cookbooks and give a quilt away at the Relay to someone who donates to their team.
***Celebrate***
“I don’t think I have ever seen anybody not have fun at the Relay!” said Tara Hardy-Gann, the organizing committee member who’s in charge of, well, fun.
After opening ceremonies and the first laps around the track, the sun goes down and the fun picks up. Hardy-Gann sees to that!
“You know, the idea is to keep people awake and on the track all night long, so last year, we started theme laps,” she explained. They start at 11 p.m. encouraging team members to compete for points to win the Team Energizer Award. They will wear hats as they walk — or pajamas or formal wear. There’s a Halloween lap where they can wear costumes and a sibling lap where they’re encouraged to grab a brother or sister and walk.
“Between the laps, we’ll have games like a pie-eating contest, egg toss, balloon toss and limbo,” she said. The teams will also compete in a Tug-of-War. And at midnight, there is madness with a half hour of lively music, karaoke and craziness.
Cancer survivors may celebrate more than anyone else. Many of them have spent months raising money with their teammates. Others just come to the Relay itself and celebrate what it means to “kick cancer.” Survivors will be treated to an air-conditioned tent as well as a free T-shirt to wear at the Relay.
Hardy-Gann said she got involved five years ago because it was a cause she believes in. This year, she believes in it even more.
“My great-grandmother has pancreatic cancer and my grandpa started chemotherapy at the end of the month for skin cancer,” she said. “I have always done Relay because it’s such a powerful community cause. This year, it’s also because it’s really affected my life.”
It will also be the first Relay she’s been a non-smoker — a step she took to reduce her cancer risk.
****Fighting Back****
This year’s Relay will feature a Fight Back ceremony at about 1 a.m. when participants can sign a commitment to fight cancer in their own lives by finding ways to reduce their risk.
Jeri Shipman lost her mother to breast cancer last year. This year, she leads the Pink Panthers, a Relay team made up mostly of her co-workers at Munchkin Land. It’s her first Relay here since she moved from Celina, Ohio.
“Mom had planned to do the Relay in Celina. She had been really sick, but we were going to help her,” Shipman explained. “Their Relay is in May and Mom died in April, so she didn’t get to be there.”
She said her team will give away a free night at Crowne Plaza, gift certificates and handmade blankets to someone who donates to them.
Cindi Thurman lost her father, Darrell Green to cancer. Since then, she’s been fighting back as a Relay team captain and as the Team Recruitment Co-Chairman this year with Kathy Paul.
They encourage all team members to wear shirts from past Relays at their jobs or anywhere else they go next week to be a walking billboard to get a crowd for the Relay Friday.
“I talked to a lady who is a cancer survivor and a lot of her church members and family are coming in to go with her to the Relay,” said Carolyn Tyler, Relay chairman. “She’s never been before, but now she’s had cancer and she wants to celebrate. I tell everybody it only takes one time to go to the Relay and you’re hooked.”
This year’s goal is to raise $175,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The Daily Journal is a proud sponsor of the Relay For Life.
Donna Hickman is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact her at 431-2010, ext. 138 or at dhickman@dailyjournalonline.com.
The Relay For Life of St. Francois County has featured the lanterns along the track since the Relay began in 1995. As many as 1,000 people may see them throughout the night. Each one tells a story.
“We have luminaria in honor of people who have just found out they have cancer and in honor of people who are longtime survivors,” said Dale Jones, co-chair with his wife Arlene of the Relay luminaria. “Others are for people who have died of cancer and the luminaria honor their memory.”
The Relay For Life is Friday at Mineral Area College. It benefits the American Cancer Society which funds services for families and research for a cure for cancer. It begins with music by Sheriff Dan and his Deputies at 5 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. It ends with closing ceremonies at 6 a.m. Saturday. Teams will have camp sites outside around a make-shift track they’ll take turns walking all night long.
The Jones family make the luminaria for the track. As orders come in for $5 each, they take pen in hand and write the name on each bag. They even write the names of their own family members who have battled cancer.
“We make them for her mother and dad and my sister, said Dale. “Arlene’s aunt in Florida and my sister send money to buy luminary for everybody in our family who has had cancer. We see people take pictures of their luminaria on the track to send to the family who can’t be at the Relay.”
Luminaria may still be purchased by calling the Joneses at 573-756-6197 or buy them at the Relay. The names will be read aloud at 9 p.m. and projected on a big screen as people on the track walk in silence and remember. This year’s Relay theme is “Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back.”
Marilyn Gann remembers her friends Marge Robbs and Tammy Heinemann with luminaria.
“Marge and I went to school together in Bonne Terre,” she said. “We graduated in 1950 and stayed friends all our lives. I was so close to her and I still grieve for her loss. Then, her daughter Tammy died of cancer on June 26. It’s a nasty disease and you hate to think of the people you love going through it.”
Gann is involved in the Relay this year for the first time as a member of The Marvinettes team. She’s baked and cooked to help them raise money for the Relay.
“It’s a good feeling to know you are doing something to wipe out this nasty stuff,” she said.
The Marvinettes will sell apple butter, cookbooks and give a quilt away at the Relay to someone who donates to their team.
***Celebrate***
“I don’t think I have ever seen anybody not have fun at the Relay!” said Tara Hardy-Gann, the organizing committee member who’s in charge of, well, fun.
After opening ceremonies and the first laps around the track, the sun goes down and the fun picks up. Hardy-Gann sees to that!
“You know, the idea is to keep people awake and on the track all night long, so last year, we started theme laps,” she explained. They start at 11 p.m. encouraging team members to compete for points to win the Team Energizer Award. They will wear hats as they walk — or pajamas or formal wear. There’s a Halloween lap where they can wear costumes and a sibling lap where they’re encouraged to grab a brother or sister and walk.
“Between the laps, we’ll have games like a pie-eating contest, egg toss, balloon toss and limbo,” she said. The teams will also compete in a Tug-of-War. And at midnight, there is madness with a half hour of lively music, karaoke and craziness.
Cancer survivors may celebrate more than anyone else. Many of them have spent months raising money with their teammates. Others just come to the Relay itself and celebrate what it means to “kick cancer.” Survivors will be treated to an air-conditioned tent as well as a free T-shirt to wear at the Relay.
Hardy-Gann said she got involved five years ago because it was a cause she believes in. This year, she believes in it even more.
“My great-grandmother has pancreatic cancer and my grandpa started chemotherapy at the end of the month for skin cancer,” she said. “I have always done Relay because it’s such a powerful community cause. This year, it’s also because it’s really affected my life.”
It will also be the first Relay she’s been a non-smoker — a step she took to reduce her cancer risk.
****Fighting Back****
This year’s Relay will feature a Fight Back ceremony at about 1 a.m. when participants can sign a commitment to fight cancer in their own lives by finding ways to reduce their risk.
Jeri Shipman lost her mother to breast cancer last year. This year, she leads the Pink Panthers, a Relay team made up mostly of her co-workers at Munchkin Land. It’s her first Relay here since she moved from Celina, Ohio.
“Mom had planned to do the Relay in Celina. She had been really sick, but we were going to help her,” Shipman explained. “Their Relay is in May and Mom died in April, so she didn’t get to be there.”
She said her team will give away a free night at Crowne Plaza, gift certificates and handmade blankets to someone who donates to them.
Cindi Thurman lost her father, Darrell Green to cancer. Since then, she’s been fighting back as a Relay team captain and as the Team Recruitment Co-Chairman this year with Kathy Paul.
They encourage all team members to wear shirts from past Relays at their jobs or anywhere else they go next week to be a walking billboard to get a crowd for the Relay Friday.
“I talked to a lady who is a cancer survivor and a lot of her church members and family are coming in to go with her to the Relay,” said Carolyn Tyler, Relay chairman. “She’s never been before, but now she’s had cancer and she wants to celebrate. I tell everybody it only takes one time to go to the Relay and you’re hooked.”
This year’s goal is to raise $175,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The Daily Journal is a proud sponsor of the Relay For Life.
Donna Hickman is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact her at 431-2010, ext. 138 or at dhickman@dailyjournalonline.com.
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