Prince George, B.C. – Prince George has officially won the title of “Number One Relay For Life in Canada” with a total fundraising effort of $560,000 this year.

Organizers expect that number to grow to $600,000 thanks to an additional $40,000 pledge by local businessman Brent Marshall.

“This is a pretty amazing accomplishment because there are 370 Relay for Life events in the country this year and for Prince George to be number one that’s absolutely amazing,” says Team Lead for Community Giving Helen Owen with the Canadian Cancer Society.

“There’s a lot of big cities with a lot more people than Prince George so we truly are a relay city.”

She attributes the success of this year’s event to community support.

“There’s thousands of volunteer hours, we have an amazing team of volunteers who are dedicated and committed to the cause.”

Owen says all money raised will go to support all the programs and services of the Canadian Cancer Society as well as funding important cancer research.