Rathdrum to host Relay for Life

RATHDRUM - Rathdrum will have a Relay for Life to call its own.

The American Cancer Society announced Rathdrum's own Relay fundraiser will debut this summer.

The specific date and location hasn't been determined.

"The volunteers who will be recruited for the event will decide that," said Kelli Hornbaker, an American Cancer Society spokeswoman. "Tentatively, it will be at the end of July or first part of August at one of the local schools."

A countywide Relay has alternated between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls in recent years. This year it switches back to Coeur d'Alene and will be held at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on June 10-11. The event's name has also been changed from the Kootenai County Relay to the Coeur d'Alene Relay due to multiple fundraisers locally now.

An informational meeting for the new Rathdrum event will be held on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Rathdrum Library, 16780 W. Highway 41. The public is invited and all ages are welcome.

Hornbaker said the decision to have multiple Relay events in the same vicinity depends on several factors, including number of volunteers, population and past participation from residents in that area at previous Relays.

"The volunteers have stated that they'd love to have a Relay come to the Rathdrum area," Hornbaker said.

Nicol Barnes, an ACS spokeswoman, said Relays typically do better in small communities, so there's no worries about one detracting from the other.

"It's almost like fast food," Barnes said. "If they're all on the same street, they all seem to do better. People like to have the event in their hometown. They can own it more that way."

Barnes said the decision to move the other Relay from the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls to the fairgrounds was based on there being another Relay starting just across the border in Liberty Lake and other factors.

"It's good to space Relays out," she said. "Shaking things up occasionally is also always a good thing, and the fairgrounds had a Relay team and they asked if we'd be interested in holding it there."

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature fundraising event. This year an estimated 5,200 Relays will be held nationwide.

Relay for Life is an overnight event of teams comprised of friends, family members, cancer survivors, co-workers, students and active seniors.

Once a team is registered, members raise funds for their efforts. The day of the event the teams pitch a campsite at a local high school sports track or city park. That evening, following the opening ceremonies and traditional cancer survivors lap, teams are introduced and are then asked to have one member walking the track at all times.

For more information on the Rathdrum event or the meeting, contact Hornbaker (509) 242-8286 or kelli.hornbaker@cancer.org.