Editor:
My name is Joyce Peart and I have been the chair of the Relay For Life for the last three years.
I stepped down at the end of last year’s relay. After our first couple of committee meetings for 2014, it became very obvious that with only four people left on the committee, we didn’t have enough people to do the job, let alone a good one.
We looked at all the different facts and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t feasible to hold a relay this year. So it is my sad duty to let everyone know that we are cancelling Relay For Life 2014.
I know people will be saying that another event has fallen victim to the “there aren’t enough people for the committee” syndrome. That is but one reason that we considered. There were other factors that played a part in the cancellation, including a declining number of teams, participants and survivors over the past few years and there is no one to chair the event.
Steve Ladas and Sobeys have been an unbelievable partner with both financial support and in kind donations. But with Sobeys being sold, there is uncertainty as to how this partnership will be able to continue. We also lost a major sponsor when there were changes at Lafarge a couple of years ago.
This valley is so blessed with an incredible number and variety of events. If you want them to go ahead, you need to step up and take an active role in the planning as well as the execution. People are burning out and we need new people that are excited to be a part of something amazing.
I know of at least two other events that were looking for chairs (maybe they are filled now). I was filled with hope at the Alberta Winter Games when a five year old won a prize at the volunteer party – she volunteered for handing out medals. So we have the very young, and the very tired – we need people that fit the in between bill.
I want to thank the many people who have made the relay possible: the participants, survivors, volunteers, businesses and individuals who donated either time, money, goods or a combination of the three, the Town of Canmore, Brian Witishyn and his staff at Lawrence Grassi Middle School and the Canmore Fire Department. Finally, there are my committee members who kept me sane, or tried to.
I could not have done the job without you and everyone else involved in putting this event on.
My hope is that 2014 can be a rebuilding year for the relay and that we are inundated with people wanting to get involved for 2015. Information can be found on the website www.relayforlife.ca or by calling 403-205-3966.
Joyce Peart,
Canmore
