Team members occupy themselves with a game of Frisbee as they wait to begin their laps around the track at Eastern Washington University's (then) Woodward Field. 2010 was the last year the relay was held at EWU.
Relay team members reach over luminaire sacks to shake the hands of cancer survivors during the Survivors Lap, part of the relay's opening ceremonies.
With a little luck and some help from local volunteers, the Cheney Relay for Life may make a come back this spring.
The popular fundraising event held each May for the American Cancer Society, beginning in 2002, was absent from local event calendars last year. The relay was originally held at Eastern Washington University's Woodward, now Roos Field, but was moved to Cheney High School in 2011 and re-christened the West Plains Relay.
After two years at Tom Oswald Field, the event moved to Medical Lake High School's Holliday Field in 2013 and 2014, but was not held last year. In an email to local community leaders and individuals, 2016 committee chair Duane Isaac said the relay is slated for May 14-15 at the Cheney Middle School track and field.
"It is an important community event and one that brings us together in the fight against cancer," Isaac wrote.
Individuals, families and organizations assemble teams of between 9 – 15 members who pledge to walk continuously around the event's track during the 15-hour length of the relay. Not all walk at once, as teams take shifts on the track while others on the team relax or participate in a variety of other events at the relay.
Past relays have raised tens of thousands of dollars to support cancer research and education. In 2008 alone, about 30 teams helped to raise $70,000 – $75,000.
American Cancer Society's Relay for Life community manager, Whitney Jones, said that while sponsors and teams are important to the success of the relay, it's volunteers that enable the event to function, even if it's just contributing 1 – 2 hours a week. Volunteers are needed to form a number of committees ranging from publicity to sponsorships to concessions.
"There are a lot of different talents and skills to help bring this together," Jones said. "So we hope to get some people to help bring this back to the community."
Relay attendance dropped during the two years it was in Medical Lake, partly because of its several moves but also partly because of the difficulty one of the key constituents to its success had in attending - Eastern Washington University students.
"A lot of energy comes from EWU students," Jones said. "We felt that having it back in Cheney would be the best way (to restore attendance)."
Jones added they have already spoken with EWU organizations such as Campus Recreation and the Greek houses, which are excited to promote and participate in the event.
A Jan. 28 relay organizational meeting was not well attended. Jones said they will be holding another meeting this month, but have not established a date, time and location.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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