PRINCE GEORGE, BC – The 20th annual Relay For Life in Prince George raised $420,000 and that number will climb in the weeks ahead. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the relay on Sunday morning and was met with wild cheers and applause from participants and organizers at Masich Place Stadium. 

“That’s an amazing amount of money,” said Helen Owen, Team Lead, Relay For Life. “We rely on that money to provide the programs and services of the Canadian Cancer Society and we’re helping to make a difference. We’re supporting people with cancer, and their families, on their journey and that’s important. It inspires us to keep doing what we’re doing. “Prince George knows how to relay,” Owen continued. “It’s phenomenal. I’m not often speechless but I’m very, very impressed. The volunteers have done a tremendous job because it’s the volunteers who have built this. Hundreds of people have pitched in to make it work.” 

Owen said money generated by the relay is still being counted. She added that donations are still being accepted. “The relay website stays open until the end of July so if people want to make a donation they can go online or they can drop it off at the office,” she said. The Relay For Life website can be found at www.relaybc.ca. The Northern Region office of the Canadian Cancer Society is located at Suite 300-500 Victoria Street. This year’s total is significantly higher than last year’s. At the end of the 2011 Relay For Life, the announced total was $386,000. The final amount raised was $400,000.

 “Prince George has once again gone above and beyond,” said Margaret Jones-Bricker, Northern Region Director of the Canadian Cancer Society. “I thank the people of Prince George and the people who donated from other cities through our online fundraising. “We are overwhelmed by the success of this year’s Relay For Life,” Jones-Bricker added. “It’s always a privilege to be involved in this. It’s a physically and emotionally uplifting experience. It’s wonderful to see the strength of community. I love the quote that ‘none of us is as good as all of us.’ That, to me, symbolizes what we can do as a united front.” 

Jones-Bricker said the success of the 2012 Relay For Life will probably give Dr. Gordon Klatt reason to smile. Dr. Klatt, founder of the international Relay For Life movement, was supposed to be in Prince George for the 20th anniversary event but was forced to cancel his trip. He was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. “We believe we have made Dr. Klatt proud,” Jones-Bricker said. “We know his thoughts were with us this weekend, and ours were certainly with him. We sincerely hope he will be in Prince George in the future. We will always welcome him with open arms.” Dr. Klatt’s hometown is Tacoma, Wash. 

The relay started at 10 a.m. on Saturday and ended at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The Prince George relay is the only 24-hour Relay For Life in Canada. This year, 142 teams and 1,630 participants registered for the relay. Seventeen individuals signed up to walk for the entire 24 hours. The top individual fundraiser for 2012 was Sarah O’Donnell, who was part of Team Canadian Tire. O’Donnell raised $5,990.31. For her efforts, she was presented with a voucher from Uniglobe Travel, good for a trip for two anywhere in North America. 

Ashley Clarke, from Ashley’s Angels, was the top youth fundraiser. Her total was $3,170.86. Clarke was awarded a trip for four to Prince Rupert on VIA Rail. The top team in the family category was DEERE’S DOUGH$ 4 BUCK$. Their members generated $10,999.36 and received $250 in gift certificates from The Keg. The Allnorth Allstars, who raised $27,394.69, finished as the top team in the corporate category. The Allstars were presented with $250 in gift certificates from Mr. Mike’s. 

“This was a really fun year,” said Tyler Neilson, captain of the 29-person Allnorth team. “Last year we were the top overall team and we raised $19,000. We were really happy with that and we weren’t sure that we were going to be able to top it.” Neilson said the Allstars were pushed and motivated by the Finning Fighters, a first-year team in the Relay For Life. Finning, under the leadership of captain Trevor Patenaude, raised $25,041.22. “Trevor and I spoke a lot and it just goes to show how, when you have that positive energy and you share it and put it out there, it comes back 10-fold,” Neilson said. “Trevor and I exchanged ideas all year. We worked hard to get each other’s team farther as well as our own teams and it was just exceptional.

The Allnorth Allstars raised $27,000 and Finning raised $25,000. That’s two teams and $52,000 raised at the Relay For Life for the Canadian Cancer Society. It’s just exceptional – it’s such a worthwhile cause and such a fabulous event and Allnorth is so proud to be a part of it.” The Finning Fighters didn’t go home empty-handed. They were recognized with the Team Spirit Award and were given $200 in earls gift certificates. 

During Sunday’s closing ceremony, Jim VanderPloeg, Honorary Chair of the 2012 Relay For Life, told participants “the bar has been set very high” for next year. “Please continue the fight and we look forward to seeing you in 2013,” he said. VanderPloeg is one of the founders of the Prince George Relay For Life, which started in 1993 as the Romp ‘n’ Stomp.