Community Auctions is so excited to highlight the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life as our featured partner to begin our New Year.  We have raised over $39,000 so far for the American Cancer Society and are determined to complete our marathon goal to raise $150,000 for them this year.  We are so honored to partner with them.

Relay for life began with one man in May 1985.   Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Washington decided that he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  As an experienced marathon runner, Dr. Klatt walked around the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma for 24 hours.  Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk with him for 30 minutes,  He walked approximately 83 miles and raised $27,000 for cancer research.  After this incredibly successful initial event, Klatt thought about how he could expand this to include people in other communities around the nation.    He recruited a small team of people to host the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.[  This evolved into the Relay for Life, which is now held in more than 5,000 communities.

Each Relay for Life event follows the same basic format,  while local communities are encouraged to adapt the event to fit their local style. Usually, a Survivors’ Dinner is held the evening before the relay to recognize the personal success stories of local cancer survivors.   The actual Relay for Life event always begins with a Survivor Lap, where local cancer survivors are honored for their bravery in fighting cancer. Next is the Opening Lap, in which all participants take a lap around the track.  From this point forward, the local community designs events to continue for the rest of the day.  These range from costumed pet laps, dancing laps, and of course the iconic purple tutu laps.   Local teams continue to relay around the track until the running comes to an end at dusk.  The next tradition is the Luminaria Ceremony in which families decorate paper bag luminarias to honor family survivors and those lost to cancer.  Finally, is the Closing Ceremony where participants take a pledge to continue to take action and spread awareness of the American Cancer Society.  To date, Relay for Life has raised nearly $5 billion since its inception.

At Community Auctions, we are so honored to be partners with the American Cancer Society.

We are honor the local organizers of the Relay for Life events.  We honor the cancer researchers who continue to make strides in the battle against cancer.  And most importantly, we honor the brave cancer survivors who have won the race against cancer.  What an incredible event for an incredible organization!

–The Community Auctions Family