Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last post, but I'm back for a short while :)
Now, I'd like to talk about Relay for Life of Martin County. First, I would like to start off with the good things. Relay has always been a fun event and will always hold a place in my heart. This year, we had more people walking the track than expected and more people on the track in the early morning hours than last year. That was great to see! We also notice many young people out there.
However, I did notice that there were not very many booths set up around the track. Just a few years ago I remember the entire track being filled up with tents and booths. So much so that people were fighting for space. Relay for Life in Martin County used to be a huge event that demanded everyone's attention and admiration. To a point, it still does, but that point has been blunted greatly, in my eyes. It was sad to see so many empty spaces around the track. There was hardly any food for sale for the relayers and though the bands and singers were a good form of entertainment, there was hardly much else. I wonder if this is, in part, due financial hard times. Either way, it was a slightly pitiful sight.
I was also saddened to find that my old high school Relay for Life team had hardly done anything. After talking with several different people, I found out that it was because the students were not permitted to do very much. I was a little agitated at this because the students really seemed to want to do more! They did not even stay overnight this year. Now, with that being said, the students were obviously dedicated and I'm sure that if they'd had it their way, would've done more!
This year, I worked with a few committee members on the kid's activities. I really enjoyed this! I could not stay the night this year, unfortunately, but when I arrived back early the next morning for the kid's walk, I was told about the group of children that stayed up most of the night being loud while others were camped out, trying to sleep. Now, relay is certainly a good place to stay up all night, but not to sit around with your friends being loud and waking others up. Reportedly, these kid's looked to be about 15 and did not have an adult with them. I know of similar situations that happened in years past. Obviously, something needs to be done to remedy this.
In addition to all of this, many people did not get their paperwork in on time, this year. This prevented them from getting team t-shirts and information vital to their team's work.
Please, don't get me wrong. I loved relay, just like I always do, but I do feel that it could've been much better.
Team captains and members, I urge you to have your paperwork and information handed in on time in order to receive everything that you need.
Groups and companies, please participate if you can. We would love to have you and it's a lot of fun, not to mention, donations are tax-deductible.
If you have questions about how to start a team, who can participate, what you can do, or any other questions, please see the following link: http://www.relayforlife.org/.
