www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, June 26, 2014 | 6 Spotlight "Connected to your Community" Everyone has their own reason to Relay for Life by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff The annual Relay for Life Oakville was held Friday at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. Clockwise, from far left, Dr. Dan Dumont, Oakville resident, Sunnybrook Health Sciences researcher, cancer survivor and Relay for Life speaker; participants enjoy a warm-up with zumba; walkers pass by the large HOPE sign erected along the track; from left, the team of Hannah Lindstrom, Jenna Courage, Alison Smithers, Nicola Harrington and Andrea Nelson; luminaries were placed along the track. | photos by Eric Riehl Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) C elebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Those words echoed at the Canadian Cancer Society's (CCS) Relay for Life Oakville at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish grounds Friday. More than 400 Oakville residents, and 42 teams, participated in the 12-hour overnight fundraiser, helping the CCS' Halton Unit raise nearly $158,000 for cancer research. Continuing a tradition that began in Oakville 13 years ago, the event featured a Survivors' Victory Lap and concluded with a Fight Back Ceremony in which participants joined together in making a personal commitment to ght back against cancer in their own lives all year long. Luminaries also lined the track to give hope and inspiration for those taking part in the non-competitive relay. Lit during a twilight ceremony, the luminaries bore the names of someone who has won or lost their battle with cancer or carried a message meant to inspire those at the relay. CCS' Halton Unit fundraising co-ordinator Shelley Frank said although the fundraiser didn't reach its $250,000 goal -- falling short by $92,000 -- organizers were still pleased with the event. It was very personal for us this year. Our opening speaker is a survivor and was on the committee, our Luminary speaker (Mark Gaylard) was our emcee and our Fight Back speaker was our chair (Twane Boettinger) and his wife (Cheryl), so we tried to bring that personal feel to Oakville and say, `This is why we relay, as a committee,' and I really liked that. Canadian Cancer Society, Halton Unit, fundraising co-ordinator Shelley Frank "It was very personal for us this year where our opening speaker is a survivor and was on the committee, our Luminary speaker (Mark Gaylard) was our emcee and our Fight Back speaker was our chair (Twane Boettinger) and his wife (Cheryl), so we tried to bring that personal feel to Oakville and say, `This is why we relay as a committee' and I really liked that," she said. Halton Region Chair Gary Carr opened the Relay, along with Kelly Fathers, CCS Ontario Division Research Communications senior manager; Don Abma, co-chair of CCS' Ontario Leadership Council; Jack McCrudden, president of Oakville Milton Real Estate Board and Dr. Dan Dumont, chair of Relay's survivor committee, Oakville resident, cancer survivor and Sunnybrook Hospital researcher. Gaylard was the luminary speaker. Boettinger, Relay chair, and his wife Cheryl were the Fight Back speakers. Frank admitted the CCS' Halton Unit wasn't sure how the new Relay for Life Halton event -- which took place at Appleby College last month -- would affect the Oakville edition, but said it was part of the learning experience. Despite the fundraising shortfall, it was a meaningful event for all who participated. The venue change -- from Appleby College, where the new Halton event was hosted, to Sts. Peter and Paul Parish -- was well received, she said. The CCS' Halton Unit is now throwing itself into its next fundraiser, H.E.R.O.S (Halton's Extreme Race and Obstacle Scramble). The event, being held at Kelso Quarry Park in Milton, takes place July 19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.cancer.ca/heros. NEIL OLIVER VicePresident and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Volume 52 | Number 76 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Advertising Department (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4444 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 DANIEL BAIRD Director of Advertising ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor