Congratulations Salmon Arm! You’ve done it again.
This year’s Relay For Life stepped out Saturday in a new location but with the same result, topping larger centres like Vernon and Kelowna, raising a whopping $153,000 and counting.
Co-ordinator Jen Dies said Monday that the numbers are a bit down from this time last year, but the counting’s not over.
There were fewer teams than last year but more participants – 349 in total, and they came in all ages, including many young folk.
An army of volunteers helped with set up prior to the relay and returned to help out during the event and with post-relay clean up. In particular, Dies acknowledged two teams from Save-On Foods that showed up to paint the street, helped run the kick-off event and operated a barbecue throughout the night of the relay.
Pipers opened the relay and the luminary ceremony, following Rick Hirtle’s moving account of his own battle against cancer.
Dies says most participants loved the new location and she is hoping Haney officials will look kindly on organizers when their board meets to discuss the event.