We’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our Relay For Life cancer-fighting fundraiser into a yearlong effort! Our goal is to raise $7,500 for the American Cancer Society. The bulk of our fundraising will happen between January 1 and the big event: the Relay For Life Of Thurston County on June 22.
The American Cancer society says the Relay “brings together passionate supporters who embody the American Cancer Society vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.” The goal is to “ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.”
Relay For Life events happen across the country. Each relay, in which team members walk for a full 24 hours, is led by local volunteers and is organized around four main components:
- A celebration of cancer survivors
- A celebration of caregivers
- A luminaria ceremony to honor and remember loved ones
- The opportunity to fight back against cancer
Last year, our team of 17 Capital employees (with family and friends we were 29 strong!) raised $4,483 and we raised another $561 with a bake sale after the relay. Our total was $5,044, meeting our $5,000 goal! In all, the Thurston County event raised more than $400,000, enough to make our event one of the top ten Relays For Life in the nation!
This year, it’s going to be even better.
Clarissa Springer, our payroll administrator, is spearheading the campaign and serving as our team captain. She’s excited to be spearheading this effort so we can contribute to lifesaving research and support services for people with cancer, survivors, and their families.
“Cancer has affected too many people we love,” she says. “That’s why we have joined Relay For Life to celebrate survivors, remember those we’ve lost, and offer up support to anyone in our community who’s been affected by it. The funds we are raising will sustain critical research and provide services for people trying to cope with their cancer experience.”
To help us meet our goal, we’ll have public and in-house efforts all year, especially leading up to the June 22 event.
We’ll have matching drives on social media, bake sales, merch for sale, a canned food drive in collaboration with the Thurston County Food Bank, and more! Keep up with our campaign on Facebook and Instagram and join us!
You can also donate, purchase a luminaria, become a sponsor, join our team, or share our progress through our Relay For Life page.
We’re kicking off the entire fundraiser at the 2024 Relay First Lap at Rainier Vista Community Park, on Saturday, January 6 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
We’ll have warm drinks, a short presentation, a photo op at the Relay Arch, and a few giveaways. Then we’ll gather to walk the first lap for the Thurston Relay together! This celebration is open to anyone who wants to help Capital fight cancer.
We hope you’ll join us and spread the word!