Populated by high school students, Renton Police K-9 dogs and a live band, Renton Relay for Life was a “wild success,” says Janet Skaggs, planning committee member.
The annual overnight benefit for the American Cancer Society was last Friday and Saturday at Renton Memorial Stadium.
Forty six teams and about 650 walkers participated in last weekend’s relay. Renton’s Relay chapter had raised about about $95,000 as of Wednesday, and Skaggs is hopeful those funds will reach the group’s goal of $125,000 by the Aug. 31 fundraising deadline.
Skaggs, past chair of Renton Relay, was among the 70 purple-shirted cancer survivors walking the track during the Survivor Lap last weekend.
Skaggs has helped organize Renton Relay for the past four years. Her goal during that time has been to bring 70 cancer survivors to the track.
“This year I think we got it,” she said.
Among that purple pack of survivors last weekend were several returnees to the event, and, sadly, some new survivors, Skaggs said.
Donations
Donations will be accepted through Aug. 31 for Renton Relay for Life. Donate to a team or the entire Renton Relay group at www.rentonrelay.org.
Also new to this year’s Renton Relay were the K-9 dogs, the rock ‘n’ roll band and a couple coffee baristas who donated part of their proceeds to Relay. This was also the first year that Renton Relay for Life partnered with Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank and Social Services Center. Renton Relay donated more than 700 pounds of canned food to the food bank. Some of those cans weighed down the candlelit paper bags lining the perimeter of the stadium’s track during the luminary ceremony Friday night.
Another new perk of this year’s Relay: the warm and sunny weather.
“A big huge thank you to the weather gods,” Skaggs said.
