After seeing strong fundraising but declining turnout at Relay for Life, organizers in Franklin County are shifting their focus toward other events, including Coaches vs. Cancer, coming up this Saturday, January twenty-fourth.
Last fall’s Franklin County Relay for Life raised just over sixty-four thousand dollars, meeting its fundraising goal. However, fewer people attended the event in person, continuing a trend organizers have noticed over the past several years.
Sheri Bogue, Chair of Coaches vs. Cancer in Franklin County and past Chair of Relay for Life, says the lack of volunteers and day-of participation made it difficult to continue the relay in its current format. Those concerns were discussed during a wrap-up meeting held in October, with organizers setting a December deadline to determine the future of the event.
“From that meeting, we came to the conclusion that due to lack of people coming to the event and spending the day with us, that if we didn’t get more volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to continue the way that we have because it’s just too hard for people to do. We set December 1st as a deadline and that now has come and gone and the decision unfortunately has been made that Relay for Life in Franklin County as we know it is now going to change. I’m not sure what those changes are going to be yet because some of that is still a work in progress.”
Bogue says fundraising efforts will continue throughout the year, including Coaches vs. Cancer this Saturday. The event features a full day of boys and girls basketball between West Fork and Hampton-Dumont-CAL, along with a silent auction, soup supper, and family-friendly activities. Events begin at 3:15, with varsity games starting at 6:15. If you can’t attend, RadioOnTheGo Sports will broadcast the varsity matchups on 99 The Wave.
