It was a night of remembrance and hope at the Allen County Relay for Life Friday at the Iola High School gymnasium. Organizers exceeded their goal of $45,000 by raising $49,277.51 for the American Cancer Society.
The team that raised the most was Iola Sisters with $16,984. The individual that raised the most funds was Ina Railsback.
The event kicked off at 6 p.m. with the opening ceremony lead by Denise Smith, event chairperson. The theme of the night was Super Heroes.
The survivor lap was lead by Cheyenne Reno, 4, and Kayla Genoble, 8. Each survivor was introduced and they followed the two girls around the gym. Altogether there were 57 registered cancer survivors, 172 registered participants and 12 teams.
The luminaria ceremony lit up the gym at 9 p.m. with 563 luminaria bags. Tony Godfrey, Harvest Baptist Church pastor, lead the group in a prayer of blessing and hope. Twelve Girl Scouts were “Hush Angels.” They circled the track while names of those honored or remembered were announced.
The team that sold the most luminaria bags was Calvary United Methodist Church, lead by Saundra Upshaw.
The best tent award was given to the Gates team.
Deb Scheibmeir, financial chairperson, reported that teams expect another $1,000 to be turned in making the event’s total over $50,000.
