The annual Cole County Relay for Life has become more than a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
The event will be held from 6 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday at the Jaycee Cole County Fairgrounds. It already has attracted 76 teams and 882 participants and raised more the $162,560.
Participation and contributions have elevated the Cole County event to one of the most successful in a six-state area.
Beyond the numbers, organizers describe the all-night relay as a metaphoric journey for a cancer patient.
"Early in the evening, people are walking with a lot of hope and are in good spirits," said Laura Lindsey, who chairs the publicity committee. "But by the middle of the night, when it's cold, dark and lonely, people no longer are so sure they are up to the challenge.
"But by morning," she added, "when the sun rises, they have their hope renewed again because they have their friends and family with them."
Organizers invite the public to come and experience this journey, in whole or in part.
The relay is a time of both tears and laughter, a time for entertainment and somber reflection, a time to share hopes and fears.
Activities will include a hula-hoop contest and three-legged race, and performers will include a Christian music band and drum line.
But permeating the event is a unified commitment to fight the disease and aid its victims.
"I've had friends in their 30s who've had breast cancer," Lindsey said. "It touches everybody and I'm sick of it. I want to do my part to try and change that."
We applaud the Relay for Life participants and encourage others to join them as agents of change.