Grundy County Relay for Life raises $36,000 and counting

REINBECK – This year, Grundy County Relay for Life organizers decided to switch things up a little.
 
Instead of hosting the event at a track like usual, the Relay was hosted in downtown Reinbeck on Friday night, with live music, food vendors and local restaurants offering specials, and even a bar at the American Legion building. Instead of a survivors lap and a caregivers lap, survivors, caregivers and community members were asked to gather in a circle and hold hands with their neighbor to show solidarity in the fight against cancer.
 
But even though some aspects of the event were different this year, the goal remained the same: raising money to battle cancer, while bringing local survivors, caregivers and the community together in the fight.
 
So far, Grundy County Relay for Life event co-leads Pam Wical and Becki Jo Shuey say the event raised $36,000 and counting as of Friday night, with some company match money and pledges still on the way.
 
Friday night, the Relay kicked off with a flag ceremony and a performance of the National Anthem by Treye Schupbach.
 
Shuey gave a welcome speech to all in attendance, and thanked them for their support of the event.
 
“The Grundy County Relay for Life Event Leadership Team is so proud to be standing here this evening with all of you in Reinbeck tonight, doing what other Relay participants in more than 5,000 communities across the country and around the globe do,” she said. “By participating tonight, you are joining forces with millions of people worldwide who want to save lives; who want to continue the fight. We are the courageous, we are the passionate, we are the determined and we are the hopeful. While each of us has a unique reason for being here, we all have something very much in common: we want to make a difference in the fight against cancer. And we are doing that.”
 
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