2011 relay for life of johnson county

8/6/2019 2011 Relay for Life of Johnson County

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 community times-revieW 5

By Monica FaraM

[email protected]

More than $1,250,000raised in eight years. Thats anumber that Relay For Life ofJohnson County should beproud to boast about.

The all-night event heldannually in June began in2003 and will celebrate itsninth anniversary this yearwhen walkers hit the track toraise money for the AmericanCancer Society.

Everybody is affected bycancer and compassionateabout it, said Mary AnnWheatley, a cancer survivorand the first chairman of theRelay For Life of JohnsonCounty. This gives people away to help.

This years Relay begins at6 p.m. Friday at Smith MiddleSchool, a change committeemembers want the community

to be aware of.It is a temporary change

because they are resodding theCleburne High School track,Wheatley said. We hope togo back to there next year. Wedidnt realize how terrific thesite was until we were had tolook for a temporary home.

We just hope that peoplewill accept that its a tempo-rary change and adjust thisyear to the changes.

Fighting for a causeRelay gives participants a

chance to celebrate lives of

those who have defeated can-cer, remember those they havelost to cancer and fight backagainst the disease.

Those three missions celebrate, remember and fightback are integral parts ofevery Relay.

Relay began in 1985 whenDr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectalsurgeon in Tacoma, Wash., ranand walked around a track for24 hours to raise money forthe American Cancer Society,according to its website. Sincethen, Relay has grown from asingle mans passion to fight

cancer into the worlds largestmovement to end the disease.

Each year, more than 3.5million people in 5,000 com-munities in the U.S., alongwith additional communitiesin 20 other countries, gather totake part in this global phe-nomenon and raise much-needed funds and awarenessto save lives from cancer.

The Relay For Life ofJohnson County began in2003, and Wheatley was the

chair for the first three years.A couple of people asked

me to start Relay For Life, andI said Yeah, if you tell mewhat it is, Wheatley said in a2010 Community Life article.It was a couple more yearsbefore I heard anything elseabout it, when I had anothervisit from some people want-

ing me to start Relay ForLife.

Wheatley was asked be-cause of her previous battleswith cancer and advocacythrough the American CancerSociety.

The first year was a realstruggle because we were hav-ing to educate people, shesaid. Were still educatingsome people today, but morepeople know what Relay is. Itwas an education process forall of us and a hurried-up pro-cess because we didnt startuntil April and picked a date

in July.The goal for the first year

was to have 30 teams andraise $30,000.

The goal was surpassed,when more than 30 teams

joined and almost $55,000was raised.

We were quite pleasedwith that first year, Wheatleysaid. The sponsors also camethrough. We had about 400-500 participants.

Jeff Kandt served as the DJ

and Joe Ripple as the emceefor that first-ever Relay inJohnson County.

The first year we did get astage from the city, Wheatleysaid. They came out and setit up for us. Jeff Kandt cameout and was our DJ, and hebrought his sound system. Forthe first year it worked OK.

But even before we got himwe thought we could just takea boom box out there and playmusic and sound.

The entertainers for thefirst Relay included The Mar-tindales, Working on Sunday,In the Light and Cleburnesown Sonny Burgess.

We started out just relyingon local talent who would vol-unteer as entertainers,Wheatley said. Eventuallywe starting using entertainerswho would accept a fee re-duced as a charity event andstill tried to keep our local tal-

ent Sonny Burgess, SteveHelms and Jimmy Jones.

A walk for all kindsThroughout the years, RFL

of Johnson County has growninto a large event, with morethan 100 teams raising almost$200,000 annually.

We have learned just howto manage and help it togrow, she said. We becamemore experienced and morecomfortable in talking with

people. The more peoplelearned about it, the more theywanted to participate. One ofthe things that we have triedand yet really havent suc-ceeded at is to get the othertowns around more involvedsince it is a Johnson Countyevent.

Last year Johnson Coun-

tys Relay was No. 5 in in-come for the North Texas re-gion. Per capita, about $2.57was raised per person in-volved, and the average is$1.60.

There are lots of peoplewho have been involved withRelay since its inception, andseveral who have served onthe committee every year.

Quiva Hays of Cleburnebecame involved with Relayfollowing her breast cancer di-agnosis. She has helped withluminarias every year sinceher diagnosis.

Cancer is something Illalways be involved in as longas I can, she said. The ideawas we wanted to do some-thing in memory and in honorof someone. They purchase acandle and they can decoratetheir bags. Theyre allowed totake them home after Relay.

The bags are placed aroundthe track and in the stands dur-ing Relay.

Its a time out there on thefield when the luminarias are

lit and people are walkingaround seeing the ones wevelost and the ones who havefought it or still are, she said.

Several teams have beeninvolved since the beginningas well, including Cowboy Upfor a Cure, captained by Jea-niv Johnson, which is one ofthe top three fundraising

teams every year; Movers andShakers, captained by Gailand Gary McCleary; Wheat-ies, captained by Wheatleyand her husband, Jerry; God-ley Lions Club; and CleburneHigh School, captained byBernadine Marriot ... just toname a few.

In memory ofThere have been several

people involved with Relaythroughout the years that havelost their battle with cancer.

One was Beth Simmons, acancer survivor who spon-

sored Relay for several yearsbefore passing away.Beth Simmons was a

longtime survivor and she gotexcited about Relay and shehad included American Can-cer Society in her will and

had donated $100,000,Wheatley said.

The then-mayor Tom Ha-zlewood announced at thefirst Relay in 2003 that anymoney raised in Simmonshonor, he would match.

Simmons passed away in2005 and trustees from herwill presented a donation to

ACS at the Relay event thatyear. The 2005 Relay wasdedicated to her memory.

Another prominent Relayperson who passed away in2008 was Stephanie Huff-man.

Huffman had been in-volved with Relay since thevery beginning, captaining ateam every year. She alsochaired the event in 2007.

The 2008 Relay was dedi-cated to Huffman.

For information on RelayFor Life of Johnson County,visit www.relayforlife.org/

johnsoncotx or www.face-book.com/johnsoncountyre-lay.

For information on signingup a team, call 817-247-7495or e-mail [email protected].

Relay for Life has made great strides over the past 9 years

$45-$60 Round Bales$5 Square Bales

817-558-2608

HAYFOR SALE

Courtesy photo

The 2011 Relay For Life committee chairs include, back row, from left, Mary Ann Wheat-ley, publicity and advocacy; Monica Faram, team development; Laura Salas, ACS commu-

nity manager; Kristi Lackey-Roberts, sponsor; Quiva Hays and Carolyn Smith, luminariaco-chairs; and Jon Lee, online. Front row, from left, are Barbara Yoder, survivor; AmandaDaw, accounting; and Lori Furtick, entertainment.

2011 Relay committee chairs

David Beans/Special to the Times-Review

Survivors and caregivers walk the track during last years Relay For Life of Johnson County. This years event is at 6 p.m. Friday at Smith Middle School.


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6 times-revieW community Wednesday, June 8, 2011

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Gold sponsors

By Lori Furtick

specialtothetimes-review

I participate in Relay ForLife for three reasons: tohonor survivors, to rememberthose lost and to find a cure.

I have been involved withJohnson County Relay ForLife since 2003, which was

the first year our event beganin Cleburne. My best friendStephanie Huffmanhad beendiagnosed with breast cancerat that time so she and I de-cided to take up the fight inour community.

Cancer was not a familiarword to me at the time and Iwas eager to learn more aboutthe disease. As a caregiverto Stephanie, I began to un-derstand the effects that thishorrible disease had on the in-dividual as well as their lovedones. This made me evenmore determined to fight for a

cure.

After several years of bat-tling cancer, Stephanies jour-ney ended but the memorieswill last forever. I continuedto serve on the Relay commit-tee in memory of Stephanie,and little did I know that can-cer would again affect an-other loved one.

In 2005 my Mamaw,Lois Curlee, was diagnosedwith breast cancer. There wasno family history of cancer inmy fathers family so I wasshocked. I not only was wor-ried about her but also con-cerned that now I would beconsidered high risk. By thegrace of God she was able tohave a lumpectomy with ra-diation and was cancer-freefor the next two years.

While preparing for an-other year of Relay in April2010, my Granny, BonnieMoore, (my moms mother)fell at work and broke her

hip. While in the hospital re-

covering from numerous testsand hip surgery, we soonlearned that she, too, hadbreast cancer and that thecancer had also spread to herliver. Her wish was not to un-dergo any treatment but tospend what time she had leftto be valuable time with herfamily.

Our Relay was in June,two months after her diagno-sis, and she was well enoughto be a part of the SurvivorLap and enjoyed spendingtime with the family andfriends at this event. We knewour time with Granny wasshort so we prepared our-selves for what was to comeand spent as much time aspossible with her.

On July 23, 2010, as wegathered around her bedside,God called her home. I amgrateful for the time we weregiven with her but wish it

could have been longer.

After having been cancer-free for two years, myMamaw had her routine scansand learned that she onceagain had cancer, but thistime it was lung cancer. Shehad surgery and is recoveringwell, but during her recoverywe found out that my auntand Mamaws daughter,

Brenda Siddall, also has lungcancer and is preparing fortreatment.

We all have a story. Theyall may be different but yet allhave one thing in common,cancer.Relay For Life repre-sents the hope that those lostto cancer will never be for-gotten, that those who facecancer will be supported andthat one day cancer will beeliminated.

Lori Furtick of Cleburne isthe entertainment chair forthe 2011 Relay For Life of

Johnson County.

Relay to honor, remember and find a cure

Courtesy photo

Lori Furtick, left, and her grandmother, Bonnie Moore.


Lawmakers on the federal,state and local level help de-termine the fate of cancer re-search, prevention and con-trol. That is why, in recentyears, the American Cancer

Society has made advocacy anational priority.

For decades, the nationslawmakers have made criticaldecisions that affect cancerpatients and their families.The American Cancer Soci-ety is committed to workingwith volunteers to keep theminformed about legislationthat could help save lives andcreate more birthdays.

The societys High PlainsDivision has recruited thou-sands of grassroots volun-teers who help communicateconcerns with their elected

officials.The U.S. government isthe nations leading fundingsource for cancer research,yet the commitment is farless than 1 percent of the na-tions budget, said Laura Sa-las, community manager withACS High Plains Division.We want to see increases infunding for cancer researchand programs so that we canimprove our chances of find-ing a cure.

The only way thosechanges can occur is throughaggressive grassroots politi-cal action.

The Society focuses on

several legislative issues thatcould help us decrease cancerincidence across the country.These issues include: re-search funding; patient pro-tection legislation; screening,detection and treatment ser-vices; tobacco control; chil-drens health; access to qual-ity cancer care; and preven-tion and awareness programs.

If the efforts of theAmerican Cancer Society tochange public policy are suc-

cessful, we will improve thelives of many Americans.The legislative fight againstcancer is a fight we need towin, said Mary Ann Wheat-

ley, advocacy chair of RelayFor Life of Johnson County.

You can help in accom-plishing this mission by join-ing the American Cancer So-cietys Cancer Action Net-work or by participating inRelay For Life.

To learn how or for moreinformation on cancer, callthe American Cancer Soci-etys 24-hour help line at800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

State and local officials supportadvocacy fight back efforts

Courtesy photo

State and local officials attend Relay For Life of JohnsonCounty every year. From left are former U.S. Rep. Chet Ed-wards, Advocacy Chair Mary Ann Wheatley and JohnsonCounty Judge Roger Harmon at last years Relay.


The American Cancer So-ciety is determined to elimi-nate cancer as a major healththreat. While striving toreach this goal, the societyworks daily to save morelives until a cure is found.

The immediate goal of

saving more lives must beaccomplished largelythrough public education onthe prevention and early de-tection of cancer; educationof the medical community on

the latest advances in diagno-sis and treatment of cancer;and advocacy at the local,state and federal levels forcancer-related legislation.

The ultimate goal of totalcancer control can be reachedthrough research. Scientistssupported by the AmericanCancer Society are continu-

ing to make breakthroughsthat can increase the numberof lives saved.

Since 1946, the year theSociety awarded its first re-search grants; approximately

$3.2 billion has been in-vested in research. The in-vestment has paid rich divi-dends. In 1946, only one infour cancer patients werealive five years after diagno-sis; today 65 percent live lon-ger than five years.

The real strength of theAmerican Cancer Society

lies in its volunteers, whotranslate policy into reality.Motivated by personal expe-riences and concern for oth-ers, they accomplish the mis-sion of the organization.

Creating more birthdays


Relay For Life of JohnsonCounty is just around the cor-ner. The celebration of lifebrings the community togetherin a unified effort to fight can-

cer and symbolizes the fightpatients face after they are di-agnosed with the disease. Sur-vivors are the stars of the eventand are recognized while thoselost to cancer are rememberedat the luminaria ceremonywhich begins at dusk.

Relay For Life is an over-night, team effort to raisefunds for the American CancerSocietys programs and ser-vices. It starts at dusk and endsin the morning hours of the

following day. The light anddarkness of the day and nightparallel the physical effects,emotions and mental state ofcancer patients while undergo-ing treatment.

The Relay begins when the

sun is setting, symbolizing thetime that people are diagnosedwith cancer. The day is gettingdarker, and this represents thecancer patients state of mindas they endure the emotions offacing this deadly disease.

As the evening goes on, itgets colder and darker, just asthe emotions of cancer patientsdo. The time between 1-2 a.m.represents the time when can-cer patients start treatment.They become exhausted, some

sick, not wanting to go on, andpossibly wanting to give up.Participants in Relay feelmuch the same way whilewalking during these hours.They cannot stop or give up;

just as cancer patients cannot

stop or give up.The sun rising represents

the end of treatment for cancerpatients. They see the light atthe end of the tunnel and knowthat life will go on. The morn-ing light brings on a new day,full of life and excitement.When participants leave theRelay, they can think of cancerpatients leaving their last treat-ment. Just as participants areexhausted and weak, so are in-dividuals after treatment.

RFL reflect fight back attitude of patients


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Wednesday, June 8, 2011 community times-revieW 7

2011 Relay For Life scheduleActivities and bank times throughout the event

6 p.m. Registration for teams and survivorsHot dog supper and campsite setup

6:30-7 p.m. Cure Seekers Baby Contest7 p.m. Opening Ceremony

Proclamation by Johnson County Judge Roger HarmonSurvivor PhotoSurvivors lap

Caregivers lapIntroduction of teams/teams lap7:30-7:45 p.m. Cure Seekers Baby Contest winners announced7:45-8:45 p.m. Lazy River Band8:45-9:45 p.m. Survivor Story by Rhonda Holden

Reading in memory by Mary Ann WheatleySurvivor presentation by Carolyn Smith

10-11 p.m. Soul Rio Band11 p.m. Pizza for sale $1 per slice11:15 p.m. Soul Rio Band continues12:30 a.m. Fight Back ceremony12:45 a.m. Door prize winners1-2 a.m. Guy James Band2 a.m. Songs by Chrislynn Collins

Pick up luminaria bags if you wish to keep them

3-5 a.m. Movie5 a.m. Clean up and breakfast6 a.m. Final lap and closing ceremony

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Monica Faram/Times-Review

Quiva Hays, right, is one of hundreds of cancer survivors registered for this years RelayFor Life event. She picks up her shirt at a special survivor reception on Monday. Also pic-tured are Sierra Anderson, left, and Graham Mcanally, BASIC Echo team members whovolunteered at the reception. Survivors may also register at Relay on Friday.

Survivors honored at reception

Location sponsor: Cleburne ISD

2011 relay for life of johnson county

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