It’s still not too late to get involved in one of the most memorable annual events held in Osoyoos every summer.

With 13 teams and close to 150 participants signed up, the Canadian Cancer Society’s ninth annual Relay for Life in Osoyoos is ready to roll on Saturday in Gyro Park, says event co-chair Tanya Tressel.

“We’re all set to go, but we’re still looking for a few more volunteers, especially to help us tear down the site after the relay is finished,’ said Tressel.

“Because it’s late at night, we often have a tough time getting volunteers to help us tear down, but we could sure use a few more hands for this year’s event.”

Last year’s event helped raise in excess of $46,000 for cancer research and organizers are hoping to beat that mark on Saturday.

“We were one of the very few relays in all of British Columbia to raise more money last year than the year before and we’re very proud of that,” said Tressel. “If we could beat last year’s total this time around, we would be thrilled.”

This will be the third-consecutive year that the Osoyoos Relay for Life has been held in Gyro Park after several years up at the Desert Park racetrack facility.

“Both sites have their pros and cons, but the best thing about being at Gyro Park is we’re downtown and we’re central and that makes us a lot more visible than we were up at Desert Park,” said Tressel. “I think we feel much more a part of the community being downtown and we get a lot more exposure from members of the public who aren’t involved in the relay.”

The lighting of the luminaries which are purchased to remember loved ones who have lost the battle with cancer is always the most emotional part of the event and that’s not going to change any time soon, said Tressel.

“It’s a beautiful site to see all of the luminaries being lit just as the sun goes down,” she said. “It’s very emotional for a lot of people, but it’s always a highlight of the relay.”

Another highlight is the survivor’s lap, which will kick off the event at noon, she said.

The organizing committee spends a lot of time and effort putting this event together and they have been a pleasure to work with, said Tressel.

“It does take a lot of time and hard work to put this all together and it can become quite stressful trying to find enough volunteers to make sure everything runs smoothly,” she said.

“But when the day finally comes and you see all of the participants smiling, you know all the hard work is worth it.

“It’s a very emotional day for a lot of people, but it’s also a lot of fun and we’re raising some big dollars to help try and find a cure, so it’s an event we can all be proud of.”

While the vast majority of participants will be from Osoyoos and area, there are a few of the teams who feature visitors from many other parts of British Columbia and a couple of teams that have participants coming in from Alberta, said Tressel.

Organizing committee co-chair Maxine Boxall has been a pleasure to work with once again and the entire organizing committee deserve to share the credit for making the Osoyoos Relay for Life such a huge success over the past nine years, said Tressel.

The Osoyoos event has now raised more than $250,000, which everyone involved should be very proud of, she said.

If anyone is interested in volunteering for Saturday’s event, they are asked to call Tressel at 250-495-4955.

BY KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times