'Personal to our community': Relay for Life struggles to rebuild after pandemic
In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxford Relay for Life's volunteer and donor support has dwindled. The remaining members remain committed to helping cancer survivors and their loved ones.
Sherry Bourquin, the Relay for Life Kroger representative, has seen the affects of cancer personally. She saw her mother-in-law lose her battle with breast cancer and lost four of her other family members to it as well. Currently, her husband is battling cancer.
"[My mother-in-law's death] hit me and caused me to learn more about cancer and become involved with a way to fight back, and raise money to help with awareness, treatment and development and research," Bourquin said, "to help try to find a cure for this awful disease."
Bourquin has worked at Kroger for 35 years and is the special events coordinator in charge of organizing Relay for Life events, among other responsibilities.
Relay for Life is a volunteer-led experience that unites communities to celebrate cancer survivors and remember loved ones lost to cancer. The organization raises funds to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research and patient support, according to Relay for Life's website.
After the pandemic, the number of volunteers in Oxford dropped exponentially from 20 committee members to about three. Karen Martino, a cancer survivor and the lead organizer for Relay for Life in Oxford, said because of the lack of help, they don't have the manpower to put on the relay like previous years. Instead, the group raises money solely through fundraising events and donations.
"When [the relay] was going on, we would pull in about 55 to $60,000 a year," Martino said. "It has dwindled because there are only two of us who are actively pursuing this, so that at the present time, we get between 10 and $12,000 a year, and that's been for the last three years since Covid."
Bourquin said about 70% of the donations stay in Oxford, instead of going to the main headquarters in Cincinnati.
"It helps our members of our community, rather than go into the big slush fund of the American Cancer Society," Bourquin said. "Which is all consuming all over the city. This is more personal to our community."
This year they've raised $8,800. With three more events to go, Martino said she expects them to reach the $10,000 goal.
Despite challenges, fundraising continues
On Aug. 10, Relay for Life will table at the 10th Anniversary Red Brick Reunion Porsche Car Show from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in Uptown Oxford. Martino said the car show donates money every year and this year will also include raffle tickets.
On Aug. 10 later that evening, Relay will be at the Oxford Country Club. Through the Relay's sponsorship, the club will host a wine tasting with hors d'oeuvres. The cost for that is $25 per person, and Martino said money is generated through various donations and through what the country club donates.
Bourquin said the last fundraiser scheduled for this year is a Labor Day weekend cookout through Kroger. They will be selling $1 hot dogs in the store to employees and customers that want them. All proceeds will go to Relay for Life.
The American Cancer Society estimated that 611,000 people will die of cancer in 2024. Last year, they reported almost 610,000 deaths.
Even though cancer rates rise every year, so do survival rates. The five year relative survival rate for all cancers combined has increased since the early 1960s, from 39% to 69% among white people and from 27% to 64% among Black people, according to The American Cancer Society.
"Every single dollar, I believe," Bourquin said, "is just getting us one step closer to being able to find a cure."
