Greencastle Relay for Life gets 'back on track' after pandemic break

GREENCASTLE, Pa. — You have to be really, really dedicated to a cause to get out and walk a track in 90-degree heat on a Saturday.

Want proof? Look no farther than the participants in the local 2022 Relay for Life on Saturday at Greencastle-Antrim High School's Kaley Field.

It was the 28th Greencastle Relay for Life fundraiser, which benefits the American Cancer Society. And as it was also the first walking event since the COVID-19 pandemic began, this year's theme was "Back on Track — Racing for a Cure."

It was also the first time Greencastle and Chambersburg, Pa., organizations combined for the event, and activities were planned throughout the day and into the evening.

Co-Chairwoman June Hann, herself a cancer survivor, said that as of Friday, 29 teams had signed up to participate, with 141 total participants — and 42 cancer survivors — among them.

"Our goal is (to raise) $85,000," she said. "Through sponsorships and teams that have already donated and (memorial) luminarias that have been purchased, we are already at like $67,000.

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"Hopefully, people are ready to get out and do these things," she said, adding that she's "very hopeful" they'll reach their goal.

As of noon Saturday, more than $70,000 had been raised, according to the organization's website.

It's personal

"The Bravehearts" team from Greencastle were walking because of the way cancer had affected family members. "We've had many family members pass away from cancer," said Angie Maynard. "We also have some survivors. My mother-in-law is a survivor of two types of cancer, and so she's going to be here today and we wanted to come out and support her."

"And my sister-in-law just passed away from colon cancer May 1 last year," said Sharon Zeis.

They hadn't yet reached their team goal of $1,000, but "we're still working on it," Maynard said.

That "family" theme ran deep Saturday. Cindy Quillen of Greencastle came with her daughter, grandson, nephew and sister to walk with team "Family Fight."

"I've had uterine cancer," she said; "my one sister had both breasts removed from cancer." Tears welled in her eyes as she added, "a brother died of leukemia."

She said her family has participated for years — almost since the Greencastle relays began. They plan to continue raising money "to get this accomplished," she said.

Cancer, said her sister Arlene Barns, "is terrible. It's a nasty disease."

Maryland transplant Beth Pryor, who now lives in Fayetteville, Pa., wore a "survivor" shirt.

She'd participated in Hagerstown relays before moving to Pennsylvania, and one year raised more than $1,000. "So I was proud of that," she said.

Then cancer arrived at her door.

After discovering she was genetically at risk, she chose to take a pre-emptive strike. "I decided to have a double-mastectomy in October of 2019," she said.

Then a mammogram scheduled a few weeks before her surgery revealed she already had stage 4 breast cancer.

"So I already had the mastectomy scheduled, so I went ahead with it. And then I had to do six months of chemo."

On Saturday, she was walking with her Penn National neighbors on a team called "Toot Your Horn." Her personal goal was to raise $300.

Still raising money

Hann said organizers will keep the fundraising open for a little while for this year's event, so the final tally won't be known until the cutoff time. For more information on this year's Relay for Life, visit www.relayforlife.org/pagreencastle