Walkers circle the track during the six-hour Relay for Life fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society on Friday, June 2, 2017 at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska. Central peninsula Relay for Life organizer Johna Beech said that this year she began conducting various fundraising events for cancer research in January and will continue until November. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Walkers circle the track during the six-hour Relay for Life fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society on Friday, June 2, 2017 at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska. Central peninsula Relay for Life organizer Johna Beech said that this year she began conducting various fundraising events for cancer research in January and will continue until November. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Relay for Life fundraises for American Cancer Society

This year’s annual Relay for Life walk — at which cancer survivors, their friends and family, and interested members of the community spent six hours Friday evening circling Skyview Middle School’s track while making donations for cancer research — is the most visible event of a nearly yearlong series of fundraisers, according to organizer Johna Beech.

Beech began organizing the local Relay for Life, a nationwide American Cancer Society fundraiser, in 2009 and said she has seen several changes in the event. The first one she hosted was an 18-hour walk from 6 p.m to 2 a.m. In 2015 she said the walk was condensed to six hours to encourage better turnout. Beech is president of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, but does her work with the American Cancer Society as an individual.

“Some people care a lot about animals, I care about curing cancer,” Beech said.

Since January, she’s coordinated American Cancer Society fundraising efforts with local businesses, churches and clubs. Many groups have participated, Beech said, such as Homer Electric Association, which holds a pie auction for the cause around Easter time, and Soldotna’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which has traditionally held a quilt raffle. This year, the group made donations, according to member Rose Scott.

In addition to groups, Beech said there are also “some pretty dedicated but crazy people involved,” such as Mike Crawford, who solicited $851 in donations by pedaling a stationary bike for 24 hours.

“I’ve done a lot of cycling, so it wasn’t terrible, but I did need a rest after that,” Crawford said of the experience.

Local American Cancer Society fundraisers will continue until November, Beech said, and will include 5K races and a fishing event in August.

At pavilions and tables alongside the Skyview track at the relay event, local groups also attracted donations from walkers by selling baked goods, games, prizes and knickknacks. Also sitting inside the track and talking with the walkers was Emily Nenon, a government relations director of the American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm, the Cancer Action Network. Nenon spoke at the relay’s dinner for cancer survivors about her group’s state and national promotion of political efforts against cancer.

On the state level, the group supports anti-smoking and anti-vaping initiatives including youth programs and legislation such as Senate Bill 63, which would prohibit smoking in many public places. SB 63 is presently in the House Judiciary Committee after passing the senate on March 27 and comes after legislative attempts to enact public smoking prohibitions, such as 2016’s Senate Bill 1 and 2014’s House Bill 360, failed to make it through the legislative process. As with past smoking bills, local activists such as Beech have gone to Juneau with the American Cancer Society to testify in support.

Another activist walking the field was 15-year-old Joe Yourkowski, a survivor of childhood leukemia who said he has also visited Juneau with the American Cancer Society every February for the past two years, advocating for anti-smoking and anti-vaping legislation and programs. Closer to home, Yourkowski said he has organized awareness events at Sterling Elementary and Nikiski Middle-High School about smoking and sunscreen.

Asked about future plans, he said he wants to “continue educating people, letting them know about things we don’t think are dangerous, like e-cigs and vaping.”

On the national level, Nenon spoke about preserving funding for the federal National Institutes of Health, which through the National Cancer Institute is the nation’s largest funder of cancer research. The federal budget proposal that President Donald Trump sent to the U.S Congress on May 23 — which is planned to take effect Oct. 1 and must first be approved by Congress — would decrease National Cancer Institute funding by $1 billion, according to the Washington Post.

Reach Ben Boettger at ben.boettger@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A pie chart shows Kenai Peninsula Borough School District expenditures by object for the current fiscal year. (Chart via KPBSD)
Explanation of how KPBSD organizes funds caps ‘Budget 101’ series

Finance Director Elizabeth Hayes delivered the presentation to school board members during a Monday work session

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, answers questions from constituents during a legislative update at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Ruffridge predicts school funding, energy security will be top issues in Juneau next session

Ruffridge has represented District 7, which includes Kenai and Soldotna, in the Alaska House of Representatives since October 2022

Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meet on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
New school board group will study 4-day school week

The group will meet regularly until next July, when committee members will present their findings to the full board

Members of the Kenai/Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee raise hands to vote in favor of a proposal during a meeting at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Advisory committee supports protections for lake trout and king salmon

Advisory committee recommendations will be weighed by the State Board of Fisheries alongside public testimony as they deliberate on each proposal

The Kenai Peninsula College Main Entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Inside the Iditarod

Showcase to feature stories from champion, event photographer

Paul Gebhardt is photographed on March 24, 1996. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion)
Kasilof musher dies at 67

Paul Gebhardt was a 21-time participant in the Iditarod

Santa Claus hugs Paul Cook during Christmas in the Park festivities at Soldotna Creek Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna brings holiday cheer

Christmas in the Park drew hundreds to meet Santa Claus, go on sleigh rides, sip hot cocoa and listen to music

From left: Rep. Ben Carpenter, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman and Rep. Justin Ruffridge discuss their priorities regarding education during a work session with members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
School funding, accountability dominate school board work session with lawmakers

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, Rep. Ben Carpenter and Rep. Justin Ruffridge joined the board for a work session in Soldotna

Snow coats an eroding bluff near the mouth of the Kenai River on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepting bids on bluff stabilization project

The announcement means that contractors can start submitting their proposals for how they’d complete the work and how much it would cost to do so

Most Read