Inaugural relay 'extreme success'

KING'S POINT - Community teams from throughout the Green Bay region arrived at Valmont Academy Sept. 20 to honour cancer survivors. The event raised more than $28,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society, and laid the groundwork for future events in the region.

Committee co-chairs Colleen Dobbin and Phyllis Simms said HMCS Kim was the theme for the first King's Point Relay for Life. The theme honours Valmont Academy principal, Kim Budgell, who is battling the disease for the second time.

Ms. Dobbin said she and Ms. Simms hatched the idea as they returned from a Gander meeting this past March. Ms. Dobbin had begun her teaching career as a substitute in King's Point. That's where she first met Ms. Budgell. After working in Springdale for a couple of years, Ms. Dobbin was diagnosed with cancer. Almost at the same time, the disease also struck Ms. Budgell.

After taking leaves that September, they both participated in their first relay the following year.

"We knew Springdale had it every second year, but we wanted to have one in the area," said Ms. Dobbin. "I remembered my first victory lap from being a survivor, I carried the banner with Kim Budgell. She had just gotten the news prior to that her cancer had returned. She was having a second battle with cancer."

From that idea, Ms. Dobbin and Ms. Simms approached the Town of King's Point about hosting a relay. They formed a steering committee and carried on from there.

"We started going back and forth to meetings, getting it all setup," said Ms. Simms. "We sectioned it off into smaller committees then went back to our meetings."

Most of the volunteers had no prior experience with the relay, but they worked it out so two people handled the survivor's supper, two handled selling the luminaries, two managed registration, two people handled the firehall and communications, and others stepped forward to help with entertainment and other necessities.

The pair then took on the responsibility of getting the sponsorships. They were able to fund the survivor's supper with help from Castle Building Supplies, Home Hardware, Main Street Pharmacy and Mr. Window and Siding, all from Springdale.

But that wasn't all. Many other regional businesses and individuals provided sponsorships in the $100 range. To recruit teams for the relay, Ms. Dobbin said they went to church groups and held meetings in communities where they figured those communities had not had teams in before.

She said a lot came up from the La Scie and Baie Verte areas and other teams came from around the region for the first ever relay in King's Point.

"We had a jam-packed gymnasium at Valmont Academy," she said. "There were a couple of teams that had been in, but we brought in a lot of new teams. We had 14 teams in King's Point, out of the 14 teams, really, 10 of them are new."

"When we started, we figured 10 teams, $10,000," added Ms. Simms. "We ended with 14 teams and over $28,000."

The opening ceremony started at 7 p.m. with the survivor's victory lap scheduled for 7:45 and the luminary ceremony for 8 p.m. Humber - St Barbe - Baie Verte MP Gerry Byrne attended as well as Baie Verte - Springdale MHA Kevin Pollard. Ms. Dobbin and Ms. Budgell led the survivor's victory lap.

"It was an amazing event," said CCS community resource coordinator, Joanne Goudie. "I can't say enough good about the local organizing committee, and the community as a whole. These small communities have huge hearts!"

The King's Point Relay for Life also bodes well for next year's Springdale event. Ms. Dobbin's thoughts turned to the support shown by the regions communities for those future events.

"Hopefully, when Spring-dale has their relay, they'll come on board again to have a much larger relay," she said. "We had the idea, but they made it happen."

The King's point event was the final of 20 that took place throughout the province this year. The Relay For Life raises money for cancer research, awareness and support in the community, and advocacy for public policies that prevent cancer and help those living with it.