Beltrami County Relay For Life Announces Largest Fundraising Total In 20 Years

Photo courtesy of Relay for Life, Team members include Cindy Swedberg – Cancer Cannots, Sally Acosta – Team Target, Joy Barclay – Abe’s All Stars, Wanda Roff – Wanda’s Celebration, Colette Zietz – Paul Bunyan Broadcasting/HBI Radio Flyers, Liz Torgeson – Be Awesome, Michelle Hawkins – Team Ma, Chantel Cartier – Be Awesome, Brenda Billings – Iverson Corner Drug Pharmacy Phanatics

Updated September 14, 2016 at 1:34 PM

Relay for Life of Beltrami County announced today that it has raised $107,464.16 over the last fiscal year. The American Cancer Society’s signature annual event, the Relay For Life, was held at the Sanford Event on July 9th.

Contributing to this year’s funds is the Beltrami Bobcats 4H Club, which donated $1,2000 in proceeds from the Rabbit Show and Silent Auction held last Spring. Fundraising efforts are held year round and is totaled in October.

In 2015, the organization helped 80 Beltrami County residents, with 47 of those residents staying a total of 656 nights in a Hope Lodge free of charge which they received cancer treatment, according to an organization official. Another 12 Beltrami County residents staying a total of 42 nights with one of our Hotel Partners, where a Hope Lodge was unavailable. Hotel partners offer free or reduced cost stays at the Holiday Inn Express, AmericInn, or Rutger’s Birchmont Lodge.

Other services provided by The American Cancer Society includes free wigs, support groups, insurance consultations and a 24 hour toll-free line to connect people with the services they need.

2.5 million people volunteer for the health organization each year, according to non-profit investor. Through these efforts, the organization says it has helped lower cancer death rates by 22% in the US during the past two decades, and a 50% drop in smoking rates.