The South Central Kentucky Relay For Life took place at the Bowling Green Ballpark on Saturday, Oct. 11. The annual fundraiser brought together a crowd of supporters and survivors of the fight against cancer.
According to its official website, Relay for Life is a fundraising event organized under the American Cancer Society.
Patricia Seifert from Beaver Dam, Kentucky, said she has been the event’s head organizer for the past three years. She led the fundraiser’s opening ceremony at 4 p.m.
Seifert said her first experience with cancer came through the loss of her best friend.
“She had kidney cancer, and it had come out of her kidney and wrapped around her spine by the time she found it,” Seifert said. “We moved down here, then after a year and two months, she died.”
Seifert said the tragedy inspired her involvement with the American Cancer Society. According to the society’s website, it is an organization with chapters spanning across the United States aimed at combating cancer through support, advocacy and research.
“I heard about the Cancer Society down here, and I knew I had to get involved with it, because this is ridiculous,” Seifert said. “Now, I’ve been on it for 25 years.”
Seifert said she also participates in protests with the Cancer Action Network, a group within the American Cancer Society. According to its page on the American Cancer Society’s website, the Action Network is focused on advocacy for affordable treatment and higher research funding.
“We just went to Washington D.C. with supporters from each state,” Seifert said. “Everyone spoke to their own representatives and fought to keep funding for research.”
Seifert said the Hope Lodge, a program run by the American Cancer Society, provides housing for family members of people undergoing cancer treatment.
“We’re gonna have all of the teams collect donations like food, toiletries and cleaning stuff,” Seifert said. “We’re going down there in November.”
Linda Fredrick, another organizer, said she oversees the silent auction. She said every team can bring a package to be bid on alongside donations from corporate sponsors such as Home Depot and Simply Mulch.
“My team did 11 packages, one team did five,” Fredrick said. “The money goes to the South Central Kentucky Relay for Life.”
Fredrick said she has organized the society’s Survivor Dinner for two years. She said the dinner is an event in the summer where survivors and their caretakers can celebrate over a meal together.
“The last two years, it’s been at a venue where we get somebody to sing and play guitar,” Fredrick said. “We gave trinkets away, so every one of the 400 people there left with something.”
The stadium was lined with volunteer stands throughout the day. Lydia Cantrell-Montalvo, dressed as “Good Witch,” said her table was organized by a local entertainment company, Parties with a Princess.
Cantrell-Montalvo said she is a performer employed by Parties with a Princess, which sends her to celebrations across the region. She said her role at Relay for Life was similar to how she performed at parties. She said it allows people to meet and take pictures with her.
“We’re volunteering here through my church, Broadway,” Cantrell-Montalvo said. “My mom had the idea.”
Cantrell-Montalvo said she feels a personal connection to the relay after the loss of multiple family members and survival of her mother.
“I love coming here and getting to walk with my mom,” Cantrell-Montalvo said.
Cantrell-Montalvo said her work brought joy to adults and children alike. She said a woman who had been surviving cancer for 18 years approached her as a fan of her character.
“We took some pictures together and I gave her a hug,” Cantrell-Montalvo said. “So, it’s more than just kids who can be impacted by stuff like this.”
After survivors and caretakers walked their victory lap around the track, the evening concluded with a Luminaria service. Gail Thomas, the service’s organizer, said the ceremony centered around paper lanterns that would illuminate the night.
“You can purchase a lantern in honor of a survivor or in memory of someone who has lost their battle,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the names printed on the back of the lanterns would also be shown on the jumbotron during the service in a tribute video by WNKY.
Thomas said Relay for Life was originally the product of a single person.
“It started with one guy who walked the track, and the theory was, one team would have somebody on the track at all times,” Thomas said. “It was like passing a baton to the next teammate, so they could walk the track.”
Thomas said she often encounters a misconception about the relay. She said people unfamiliar with the event commonly ask if it is a race.
“It’s not a race as you think of a race,” Thomas said. “It is a race against cancer.”