Moving the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life celebrations from the fall to the spring was a good move, said the event's co-chair Cary Challis. The event raised more than $107,000, she said.
She doesn't know whether that figure is more than was raised in the fall, but said the spring event brought out a greater number of participants. "We had a lot more people sign in Friday than we did at the last Relay. Maybe 20 percent more," she said.
A new feature brought in $3,265. "We held a Miss Relay, where 15 guys dressed up like beauty queens and went through the crowd asking for donations. It was great."
Challis said she and other event coordinators are "ecstatic" with the amount of money that was raised. "I can't wait until next year," she said. The tentative date for next year's Relay is April 17.
Relay For Life honors cancer survivors, remembers people who died from cancer, raises money for research and educational tools and brings together people whose lives have been touched by cancer.
For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or 1-866-228-4327 for TTY or on the Web at www.events.cancer.org/rfllongviewtx.
