This past weekend (May 19th into the 20th) we celebrated the first annual Canadian Cancer Societies "Relay For Life" in Alert. It was the first of it's kind for the station and as well for Canada's largest territory, Nunavut! It was the northernmost relay in the world and we had a blast! Here's a sneak peak into what went down :)
Meet Erik. He's the Environment Canada type and he volunteered his burly beard and hair for a great cause.
Mid way through I gave it the "Kristy Doyle stamp of approval"!
Meet Max. He's the Canadian Base Operators type and he volunteered his #1 asset to getting the ladies for this honourable cause as well! We got one last grope in there before it was buzzed off by yours truly!
The bald and the beautiful and together they raised over $500 for the cause :)
Before the opening ceremony, guests take time to write "in memory of" and "in honour of" luminaries for those who have suffered and are currently battling cancer.
Moi!
Almost the entire station (approx 70 personnel), military, civilian and visitors alike came to take part in the opening ceremonies.
Due to the nature of our location, the majority of our fundraising came from more "southern" donors. To keep them a part of our ceremony, anyone who donated on-line got a "Thank You" heart to put on our wall of fame. We really appreciated all of your support!
The dryness of the air eliminates the ability to use the traditional tea lights in our luminaries (fire hazard) therefore, for a safer option, we used glow sticks to light our luminaries prior to a moment of silence.
The inaugural lap of our relay was 1km outside in the -20°C air! Spirits were high and it was amazing to see everyone out together.
Bonnie and me :)
Laps around our indoor and outdoor track continued for the entire night. Throughout the evening, people who weren't even on the team came to join us by walking and keeping spirits raised.
Miss you xo
Some yummy treats courtesy of :
Team Orange Smiles.
Meet MWO Jim Britt. Jim is our stations construction and engineering officer (SCEO). Jim was our guest of honour for the relay as he has been cancer free since October of 2004! Participating in
the survivors victory lap he did not only walk, but ran! With a goal to walk a kilometre for every year of his life (57), MWO Britt not only accomplished this but also
3km more!
As a team we completed 916kms over the duration of the night and raised $9, 000! Personally, I finished 41kms! In the words of Casey Lessard "Cancer knows no boundaries" which was reflected
in the emotions shown in the isolation of the Canadian Arctic. A very intimate and moving experience, it was yet another memory in Alert that will last me a lifetime.
