O’Brien County, Iowa — Most people have had their lives touched, in one way or another, by cancer. Whether they are a patient, relative, or friend, cancer touches most of us at one time or another. To help fight this dread disease, fundraisers called “Relay for Life” are held across the country in the summertime. The annual O’Brien County Relay For Life event will be held Tuesday, June 14th, at the Lifelong Learning and Recreation Center on the campus of Northwest Iowa Community College.
Cindy Runger is one of the organizers of the O’Brien County Relay for Life, and she says it was decided to move this year’s relay from the traditional Friday evening, to a weeknight.
In addition to moving the relay to a Tuesday evening, Runger says they’ve also shortened up the schedule a bit.
One of the most emotional of the events at each year’s Relay For Life is the Lumineria Ceremony, when the only light in the room is provided by the internal lighting of the lumineria bags, which encircle the LLRC track. These lumineria are purchased to honor someone who is battling, or has survived cancer, as well as to memorialize those who have lost their battle. Runger talks about where you might get one of these lumineria bags.
She says you may also purchase a lumineria bag at any of the four Sheldon banks.
Funds raised by the Relay for Life are given to the American Cancer Society for use in cancer research, education, patient care, and advocacy programs.
