A Refresh For Relay

Volunteers work at registering teams for the upcoming Relay for Life event

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Finding a way to involve more of the community is a goal of Wyatt Russell, who is helping head up this year’s Relay for Life.

The Relay is no longer planned for June, as in years past, but instead will be held in the month of March. The other change is that it’s moving from the city square in downtown Oskaloosa to the PAC on the William Penn campus.

The past has also had it as a 24 hour event, but this coming year’s event will be from 2 pm to 2 am. “We moved it from 2 to 2 so we could do a survivors lunch at the beginning, so that way our survivors can do the survivors lap,” said Russell.

Russell says he hopes to bring more vitality to the event by including more from the community. Russell said the Relay for Life committee is reaching out to the local school system and local businesses “to get teams involved.”

Russell became involved with Relay for Life two years ago when an important person in his life was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. “It really hit home hard that something like that can happen at any time, to anyone, with no warning sign.”

Russell and others made a team in support, and raised just over $3,000. Russell then participated again this past year, and was then approached by their ACS (American Cancer Society) representative to see if he and his wife, Amanda, would like to become more involved.

If you would like to have more information, donate or if you have any other question, you can contact Russell at mahaskarelay4life@gmail.com or call 641.569.3049 or visit the website at www.relayforlife.org/mahaskacountyia