(Seguin) — If cancer has impacted someone in your life, then the big pavilion over at Max Starcke Park is the place to be this weekend.
Over 22 plus teams will be fundraising this Saturday during the annual Guadalupe and Comal County Relay for Life event.
Misti Abrameit-Guenther, one of the coordinators of this year’s event says the idea is to support the American Cancer Society and its quest to not only find a cure but support those programs that are needed until that cure is found. More importantly, she says it is an opportunity to honor those whose lives have directly been impacted by the disease.
“Around 3:30 p.m., we are going to have our survivors come and register and gather together as survivors and I know our survivor committee has some goodies that they will be giving them and then, we will have a team captain meeting at 3:30 and at 4 o’clock, we will be ready to get started. We will have our opening ceremony. We have the best mayor ever. She will be there. She will be welcoming everybody. She has been a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society I know and has been on teams and has always supported Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society and of course, we are going to have that wonderful, moving survivor lap. Our caregiver laps, that will never die. We will get those things done,” said Guenther.
This year’s Relay for Life theme is “Games.” Guenther says the teams made up of family members, co-workers, businesses and/or friends will be sporting this year’s theme with some very creative fundraising activities.
“Everybody seems to love to do all of the different activities that we do. A silent auction will be going. I know we have cobblers, fresh Dutch over cobblers. I know there is peach, and apple and one is going to be a surprise. But Linda Rehfeld and her husband always do a fantastic job. So of course, we have someone selling Blue Bell ice cream to go with the cobblers and root beer floats and then one of our teams is going to be making hamburgers and hot dogs. There is going to be baked goods and I’ve seen some incredible things going on at different booths. There’s this huge lottery ticket basket that looks like a slot machine so it’s just fun,” said Guenther.
Relay, of course, is also an opportunity for individuals to not only honor those fighting the battle but to remember those who are no longer here. Guenther says individuals are invited to stop by any time before 6:20 p.m. and purchase a $5 luminaria bag. She says individuals are welcome to personalize them and display them at the event.
“Don’t forget to do your Luminaria bags. We will have the Luminara ceremony (Darren Dunn) has been so gracious to come and read our names and that is just the most moving moment of the event for me where we get to really reflect on those who we have lost and know that that is why we continue to fight so hard to fund this mission,” said Guenther.
Guenther says the organization this year is celebrating the success of the last 24 years. She says a reunion type celebration is in store for this year’s gathering and encourages anyone who has been a part of the Relay success in either Guadalupe and Comal Counties to come out and be acknowledged. Although the efforts and goals remain the same for the American Cancer Society, communities across the country especially post pandemic have been struggling to hang on to supportive resources. This has caused many of them to merge their Relay fundraisers just as in the case of Guadalupe and Comal Counties.
However, despite the challenges, Guenther says the final goal remains the same and that’s to find a cure and to ensure that patients all over are given the support they deserve.
“It’s just a time for people to come and gather. It’s just hope. We look around at each other. We look at our survivors because you are a survivor from the moment that they tell you you have cancer because whether you have to endure chemo or radiation or if it was able to be removed before then, you are still a survivor,” said Guenther.
Relay for Life will be held Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Max Starcke Park.