Relay events
The 2012 Lafayette County Relay for Life will be held June 15-16.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at the Lafayette County Fairgrounds, the Dora Ritter Wellness Center dancers will entertain. At 6 p.m. the opening ceremony will begin with honorary co-chairs Mike Curry and Dennis Murphy. Sara Gleason and Anne Reuter will sing the National Anthem and Dr. Rev. Connie Peake of the IUCC will provide the opening prayer. Following a balloon launch, the survivor’s lap will be led by the American Legion Post 214 and the Darlington Lions Club. Children are encouraged to bring their decorated wagons for a wagon parade lap. The DJ for the evening, Jerry Douglas, is sponsored by B.J. and Vicki Wiegel of Shullsburg Auto.
Starting at 6:30 p.m., children’s activities include face painting, balloon animals by Charlotte Laird, hair styling by Images Hair Salon and a bounce house sponsored by The Spot tavern. The kids activity tent is sponsored by Richard Roelli in memory of Jakob Roelli.
At 7:30 p.m. a cake auction will take place with auctioneer Brian Acherman. Then, at 9:30 p.m., a special candle lighting ceremony will be held. The luminaria and bloominaria ceremony will start at 10 p.m.
Food will be available throughout the event by Optimist Club of Darlington, Darlington Fire Department Auxiliary and Cub Scout Pack No. 125.
The closing ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 16.
DARLINGTON—After clearing a few hurdles, the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (MHLC) employees and staff are the corporate sponsors of the 2012 Relay for Life in Lafayette County.
Sue Paquette, community outreach specialist for MHLC, said the Lafayette County Relay for Life Committee approached MHLC to inquire if it would sponsor the event for $2,000; however, the hospital is run by taxpayer money, eliminating it as an option. The hospital auxiliary and foundation were also approached, but their bylaws wouldn’t allow the donations.
“We came up with the idea of the employees and staff being the sponsor because they usually donate $3,500 each year anyway,” Paquette said. “This year we were just anticipating our donation might not be as much if we were sponsors.”
However, approximately115 employees and staff contributed to numerous fundraisers, raising nearly $5,200. The employees have had a 50/50 drawing, bake sales, Thirty-One gifts fundraiser, jeans day on Fridays and a silent auction of baskets. They anticipate to raise even more on Friday, June 15, at the Relay for Life event with a quilt raffle and a Packer jersey drawing.
“Everybody just came together,” Paquette said. “There were a lot of obstacles to do it, but the employees and staff came together and made it happen. It’s nice to see all of the departments come together. It’s a very competitive group.”
The employees and staff of MHLC have a motto for this year’s event: STAR (Standing Together Achieving Results). They will have two trees at the event with foam stars hanging from the branches. Each star, submitted by the employees, is in honor or memory of someone who fought cancer.
“We wanted to remember the people fighting the fight,” Paquette said. “The employees worked hard, raised money and now want to show appreciation for the people who do the hard work fighting the battle.”
This will be the 17th annual Relay for Life in Lafayette County. The event starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15 and runs through 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, at the Lafayette County Fairgrounds. Last year 25 teams helped raise $104,000. This year the goal is $105,000. Honorary co-chairs are Denny Murphy and Mike Curry, two men who are still fighting the battle.
