Those involved in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Temple, set from 3 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday at Temple High School stadium, will be going the extra mile to make it a fun-filled event for both participants and the people attending.
The theme for this year’s relay is Heroes of Hope: 25 Years.
“You don’t have to be a team participant to enjoy the festivities,” said Jackie Wernli, event chair.
In addition to food, entertainment and prizes there will be a silent auction with an unusual item up for bid, a Cancer Action Network T-shirt signed by head basketball coaches of five universities.
Karen Dungan had the T-shirt signed last September while attending the Cancer Action Network’s lobbying effort in Washington, D.C.
The coaches, Gary Williams, University of Maryland; Fran Dunphy, Temple University; Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University; Mark Gottfried, formerly of the University of Alabama; and Jim Calhoun, University of Connecticut, are all members of Coaches vs. Cancer.
Coaches vs. Cancer is a joint effort by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Dungan, who admits to having little knowledge about sports, said she had been told they were successful coaches - an understatement. Three - Williams, Boeheim and Calhoun - have coached teams that have gone on to win multiple national championships.
Like most of the population, the basketball coaches have been touched by cancer. Calhoun is a survivor of prostate cancer and Williams’ mother died of cancer.
“We’re just hoping that some college basketball fan will want the T-shirt bad enough to pay a decent amount for it,” Dungan said.
Dungan is in the process of getting the shirt displayed in a shadow box so it will be ready for auction this weekend.
About 36 teams are expected to participate in the Temple relay, Wernli said.
The goal is to raise $125,000 because this is the 25th year of Relay for Life, Wernli said. Temple has had a relay for 12 years and last year $109,000 was raised.
In spite of the bad economy, relays in the Central Texas region have done as well, if not better, than last year, she said.
“I think most people realize that in this economy, when people are losing their health insurance, the services provided by the American Cancer Society are needed so much more,” Wernli said.
