Teams worked for weeks in advance of the Relays, finding hundreds of creative ways to persuade their friends and neighbors to part with a few dollars here and there.
Donations and pledges flowed, more than a trickle but never a gusher, until Relay night. Then the floodgates opened as the teams came together, North at AIDB and South at Sylacauga High School, to celebrate survivors, commemorate those lost and recharge the fight against cancer.
When the final fundraising numbers were tallied, the total was reason to cheer. Together, the Talladega County North and South Relays raised $181,950, more than $50,000 over their combined goal. The North Relay brought in $73,000, while the South raised a whopping $108,000.
In a county bowed under the burden of recession topped by weeks of volunteering for tornado relief, Relay for Life might have suffered the consequences of giving-fatigue. But Talladega County did not let that happen.
Relay for Life has become a springtime institution that is part party, party charity, part affirmation of who we are and what we care about.
St. Clair County residents have their chance to match Talladega County’s contributions Friday night. If Pell City meets its goal of $104,432, it will mean residents of the two counties will be contributing more than $285,000 to preventing cancer deaths.
That is a worthy goal and an outstanding accomplishment.
