There were no dampened spirits Friday, June 11, even though the track outside was a bit wet. The 10th annual Stearns East Relay for Life was held inside for the second year in a row. Ten teams of 15 or fewer people walked through the halls of Kimball Area High School, taking time to reflect and read names on the 2,000 luminary bags lining the halls. Even though the bags weren’t lit and glowing, thoughts and prayers for those represented by the bags were abundant. Stearns East Relay for Life teams raised $58,667. The top team, “Wranglin’ for a Cure” had nine members captained by Mary Lou Raden. The team raised $10,769. Julie Schueller raised $2,526, making her the top individual for the year. There were 17 gold “Star Supporters” who raised $1,000 or more individually. Eight of 10 teams qualified for the national level for their fundraising efforts. The evening began with 41 survivors in attendance at the survivor banquet. In a new event, survivors posed for a photo and then released balloons before participating in the annual survivors’ lap. Reverend David Milz led a prayer, and Mayor Karla Davis welcomed everyone to the event. A group called “the Quartet” sang two beautiful songs, and then teams were introduced and the top team and individual awards were handed out. Corporate sponsors were recognized, and Joyce Albert performed. This year’s guest speaker was Connie (Knaus) Powell, who shared the story of her daughter, Madelyn, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 15 weeks old. Powell shared how the diagnosis changed their lives, the struggles and chemotherapy Madelyn endured and the overall impact it had on her little body. Heartland DJ and Karaoke began playing music at 9 p.m. and the walk began. The food booth run by the Carol and Karl Krippner family offered hamburgers and hot dogs from 5-11 p.m. The booth added another $580 to the grand total. The winners of our camp site theme competition was the “Dragonflys” team captained by Leroy Raden. Mayor Karla Davis helped with the judging for that competition. Mary Lou Raden helped keep everyone awake by hosting fun games every hour and distributing prizes starting at 11 p.m. Some teams sold painted rocks, painted Christmas bulbs, flowers made of candy kisses, yard picks and chicks to add to the final total. Clean-up began at 6 a.m., everyone ate breakfast together and finally headed home for some well-deserved rest. Marguerite Laabs of Images by Marguerite donated her time and pictures for the relay as she has done in past years. If any survivors would like to purchase a group photo, call Images by Marguerite at (320) 398-5220, or stop in at the studio. Deb Reinert and Chris Jeppesen had a wonderful time co-chairing this event which is near and dear to their own hearts. Deb is a 2 1/2 year breast cancer survivor, and Chris’ father passed away two years ago after struggling with cancer, and others in her family have also been affected by the disease. Due to an oversight in printing, the “Hope” donation was missed on the programs. For that we apologize. Hope was sponsored by Delores Nystrom and family. To the rest who helped, “thank you.” From Jerry Hansen storing the blocks for the luminary bags until next year, to all of the speakers and performers, you are what keeps this relay strong. Thank you for donating your time and committing to such a worthy cause. To all team captains and team members, an extra “thank you.” You are what makes this Relay for Life as successful as it has been. Your fundraising efforts throughout the year continue to pay off year after year. Here’s to next year, may everyone stay happy and healthy. Submitted by Deb Reinert and Chris Jeppesen
