Walking teams raise funds for cancer cure

Lisa Barr sets out luminarias that honor those who have survived cancer and those who have died at the Relay for Life event Saturday at the Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana, Ark.
Lisa Barr sets out luminarias that honor those who have survived cancer and those who have died at the Relay for Life event Saturday at the Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana, Ark.

This time of year, several walking teams gather at the Four States Fairgrounds to spend seven hours walking, either in memory of a deceased cancer sufferer or in honor of a survivor.

Katie Stone, a Relay for Life Committee member, said several members of these teams spend the last Saturday in April raising funds for cancer research by selling keepsake commodities from their tents.

"That is exactly what these teams were doing Saturday at the fairgrounds. While some team members were selling items, others were walking around a circle of candles-each candle representing either a deceased cancer victim or a living cancer survivor," Stone said.

"Last year our teams raised $30,000, which went to the American Cancer Society," Stone said Saturday evening. "So far this evening, we've raised $10,000. Survivors and caregivers are the heart and soul of our Relay for Life events, and we will be out here again this time next year."

The walks usually go from 3 to 10 p.m. the last Saturday in April. Both the committee and the walking teams are local.

For more information regarding contributions or participation, call 432-386-6868.

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