Local Relay for Life held Aug. 3; celebrating 20 years of fighting cancer

Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer

For two decades now, cancer survivors and their supporters have gathered annually for a local event that raises funds and awareness in the battle against the deadly disease. The highlight of the event is when the sea of people wearing purple shirts march alongside each other in a show of unity and hope. This year, the 20th annual IGH SSP WSP Relay for Life will be held 4-10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3, at Lincoln Center Elementary, 357 9th Ave. N., South St. Paul.

The school track is the focal point, but the event is not a race and participating in ceremonial laps isn’t required. Rather, the evening is simply an opportunity for the public to gather to celebrate cancer survivors, honor caregivers, remember loved ones lost to cancer and raise funds to battle the disease. It will feature a memorial garden, ice cream and taco food trucks, silent auction, 20th anniversary presentation at 7 p.m., appearance by Winter Carnival Royalty including South St. Paul resident and current King Boreas Steve Doody, and more. The event is free and open to all, and about 20 registered teams will have “campsites” offering snacks, face painting, lap-tracker bracelets or other fundraising opportunities.

This year’s theme is “Decades” so expect at least a few of the teams to be decked out in everything from bellbottoms to grungy flannel to ripped jeans. One team includes Mary Niederkorn, an original co-chair of the event, and each team will donate a prize basket for the silent auction. Prizes in the auction include Saints tickets, two adult and two children’s tickets to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, a $50 Cole’s Salon gift card, a gift card and t-shirt from The Coop restaurant, and more.

Cancer survivors who register to attend the event will receive a purple American Cancer Society t-shirt to wear during the ceremonial lap around the track. They are also invited to hold signs saying how many years they’ve survived the disease. In the past, those with signs saying “40-year-survivor” and “50-year-survivor” have gallantly led the pack. Wheelchairs are available for those who need them. The track itself will be illuminated by approximately 500 paper bags that are lit with electric tea lights and decorated to remember those who have passed away. They’re weighed down with cans of food which later will be donated to Neighbors, Inc.

“That first-year walking as a survivor, it just felt so overwhelming to see that sea of purple shirts and to feel like, ‘hey, I got this,’” said 2024 co-chair Kristi Larson. “And to be able to wear that purple shirt myself, it’s a feeling I can’t describe, but it was overwhelming and very impactful.”

Larson initially became involved in Relay for Life in 2011 along with her church team in her hometown of Morris, Minn. However, the event took on a new meaning for her in 2015 when she became a cancer survivor. The longtime Inver Grove Heights resident will have a team at this year’s event dubbed Sisterhood, which includes three close friends who have survived breast cancer and her spouse.

Darlene Tinucci returns as co-chair for a second year. A South St. Paul native now living in Inver Grove Heights, she is a member of the Walking with Grace team, organized by Grace Lutheran in South St. Paul. Tinucci relays for her mother who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and passed away in 2015.

“We also have gift bags for survivors and a memory area for those who have passed away,” said co-chair Tinucci. “This year we’re going to have a memory garden…. People can write notes for their loved ones if they want and attach it to the bouquet and then plant the bouquet.

“We did a [big] puzzle last year for every team coming together and we’re going to do it again this year and have it in the shape of a 20,” she added. “It shows everybody coming together to fight one cause.”

Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins is this year’s emcee and South St. Paul resident Izzie Bogie, a 19-year-old student at Inver Hills Community College, is the honorary survivor speaker. She is a 10-time survivor of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and leukemia, undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2022. James Sherman will perform bag pipes and his son will perform snare drum while making a final ceremonial lap.

Over the years
The event started in South St. Paul at Lincoln Center Elementary as a 24-hour gathering and all neighboring communities were welcome to participate. It moved to Fleming Field in 2016 and the decision was made to end it at midnight due to the low number of families who could stay all night and because of storms that occasionally made for sudden, middle-of-the-night pack up moments. That same year, the name changed from SSP Relay for Life to IGH SSP WSP Relay for Life. In 2019 it moved inside Bethesda Lutheran because it was held in October and was snowing on event day. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, Relay was a drive through event on Marie Avenue in South St. Paul. It returned to Lincoln Center in 2022.

The event is run entirely by volunteers including an 8-member committee. This year, local Scout Troops will place and light the luminary bags. One luminary is provided for every $10 raised by each team, but people may also buy them for $10 each. Since its inception, the local Relay has raised more than $1.3 million for the American Cancer Society. This year’s goal of $35,000 had already been halfway met as of press time. Last year brought in $32,000 but some years have topped $100,000. The money is raised by teams registering to participate in the event, and through donations by businesses and individuals. The slogan for this year’s Relay is, “Every cancer, every life, decades of hope.” For more information, visit relay52.org.

<<< Back to Home