Northeast Montana Relay for Life Surpasses Fundraising Goal

I heard the festivities before I saw them. Walking into the Relay I heard singing, followed by applause from the crowd. The closer I got, I could see most everyone was gathered under the well-lit "free stage" area of the fairgrounds, and finishing her performance was Glasgow native Jessica Jimison Heier. To my right, I noticed a few attendees just finishing up a game of giant Jenga. The grandstands were well-lit and people were filtering in and out of the building. Scattered throughout the crowd, I saw many people I know. Some of them were wearing sashes declaring them to be "survivors". Luminarias were lined up like little soldiers meant to honor and remember those who have been touched by cancer. I was comforted by what I saw.

The 2015 Northeast Montana Relay for Life was held at the Valley County fairgrounds this past weekend – starting Friday night and pushing into Saturday morning. Seventeen teams with 120 registered members participated in the two-day event.

The event kicked off with the traditional survivor dinner with 130 survivors served. Judy Martin opened the meal with a prayer and cancer survivor Carol Neufeld addressed the large group that was gathered under the grandstands. The meal itself was a team effort with a hog provided by RJ Winderl and Deb Elletson and processed by Doug Wixson at Treasure Trail Meat Processing. Gary and Sandy Maczka and the Farm Equipment Sales team cooked the meat and Doris Ozark prepared all of the side dishes.

After the meal there was a presentation of flags and the national anthem. With the help of Bill Nicol, Wayne Shipp lit the Flame of Hope and Megan Schafer addressed the crowd just before the survivor lap began.

Entertainment for the event included singing by sisters McKenna and Summer Strommen, the Amazing Race, Mr. Geezer, and the popular Mr. Relay pageant. This year's pageant included contestants Ryan Scanlan, Chase Hughes, Walker Allen, Logan Gunderson and Andrew Fransen. Gunderson was ultimately crowned Mr. Relay with Fransen snatching the runner-up title. The contestants raised over $500 - some of which came in the form of a shower of dollar bills from a few ladies in the crowd.

Over 1,000 luminarias were lit just a little bit after 10 p.m. and the event continued throughout the night. The Relay concluded Saturday morning with a victory lap by everyone present.

According to Andi Buckley, the Relay for Life Community Manager for Glasgow, the event surpassed the fundraising goal of $51,500 with over $53,000 raised – with more still coming in. Buckley explained these funds are used to help provide transportation, wigs, hotel stays and more to residents of Valley, Phillips, and Roosevelt counties. These are just some of the ways that ACS has assisted Glasgow and the surrounding communities, and this is why we Relay.