Reaching out

MOSES LAKE — Ninety-three teams, 1,132 participants and more than 100 survivors registered for the Moses Lake Relay for Life, but as the 18-hour event came to an end at noon Saturday, few remained.

Karen Okerlund was one of the few people continuing to walk laps at Moses Lake High School near the conclusion Saturday.

“It’s a great cause,” she said.

She said it’s important for people to participate in Relay for Life because it raises money for cancer treatments and raises awareness for the disease.

Okerlund added cancer afflicted people in her family as well as her friends.

She said it’s even more important now to raise funds and awareness because people are living longer.

Okerlund was participating in the event on behalf of the Big Bend Community College team.

Team Development Chair Terry Moore, who has been involved with the Moses Lake Relay for Life for about 14 years, said the turnout for this year’s event was about the same as last year.

“But we had different people,” she added. “New faces, new ideas. We always like that.”

The event, which began Friday at 6 p.m. and lasted until noon Saturday, raised money for cancer research and various programs in the area. Moore said a total of $133,000 was raised as of Sunday.

But participating teams have until the end of August to turn in money, she added.

Businesses, including Papa John’s, Taco El Ray and Amped Up Espresso, were open at the event and donated a portion of their earnings to the cause, Moore said.

Michael’s On The Lake provided a free barbecue meal for all survivors, participants and their families, she added.

“They are amazing,” she said.

Money raised at the event will go to cancer research and community programs such as “Look Good, Feel Better” and Camp Goodtimes, a camp for child cancer patients, Moore said.

“We have several children (in the area) that go to Camp Goodtimes every summer,” she noted.

Other programs available in the area provide assistance during the cancer treatment process.

“If (patients) have to travel for treatment, they have programs where they help them with their hotel arrangements,” Moore explained.

Entertainment was provided throughout the event, including a lip sync contest and a duct tape contest, in which contestants competed to make the best outfit out of duct tape.

“Some of them were pretty good,” Moore said. “They spent a lot of time on them.”

There was also a scavenger hunt and a pie eating contest. Contestants in the pie eating contest had to find a piece of bubble gum hidden in a “pie” of whipped cream, Moore explained. The first to find the gum and blow a bubble won a prize.

“All of the prizes that we give are all donated from businesses,” Moore noted. “They’re all very generous and very supportive of us. We’ve got a great community here.”

Event Chair Donna Anderson said six prizes were given out, to teams who decorated tents, in the “Best Theme” and “Best Decorated” categories. Teams from Moses Lake Clinic, First Presbyterian Church, Moses Lake Community Health, Columbia Colstor, Big Bend Community College and Care Bears received prizes for their tents.

Teams also competed in the Mr. Relay contest Friday night. The Food Pavilion team won first place, Anderson said, followed by the team from the Columbia Basin Herald and Columbia Colstor. Horizon Credit Union received the People’s Choice award, she added.

“We just want to thank the community,” Anderson noted. “There was a lot of support. It was pretty amazing.”

For more information about Moses Lake Relay for Life, or to volunteer, contact Moore at 509-989-2287 or visit www.relayforlife.org/moseslakewa.