 Lakeland Currents, your public affairs program for North Central Minnesota, produced by Lakeland PBS with host Bethany Wesley. Production funding for Lakeland Currents is made possible by Bemidji Regional Airport, serving the region with daily flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, for information available at BemidjiAirport.org. Closed captioning for Lakeland Currents is sponsored by Niswa Tax Service, tax preparation for businesses and individuals online at NiswaTax.com. Hello, I'm Bethany Wesley, and this is Lakeland Currents. The American Cancer Society reports that there were 15.5 million Americans living with a history of cancer on January 1, 2016. About 1.7 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed this year in 2018. It's hard to imagine anyone not knowing someone whose life has been impacted by cancer. Locally here in Bemidji, survivors, caregivers and community members come together to raise funds for cancer research and survivor support services through the Beltrami County Relay for Life. This year, though, there will be some changes for the popular event. Here to tell us about those changes and to talk about the greater mission of the Relay for Life are Stephanie Moll, the event lead here in Beltrami County, and Cindy Swedberg, the marketing and entertainment lead. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about how you got involved with Relay for Life, how long you've been involved? I don't even know if I remember what year I started. It's been a long time. I started originally in Foley. I had a friend that was a cancer survivor. I have since lost her to cancer, but my dad also passed away from cancer, and so it was a way to honor them and somehow, some way, fight back. So, Cindy, you're the marketing and entertainment lead. Do stuff like this, right? To help promote the event and awareness. Is that kind of what your role is? Absolutely. That is my marketing part. I promote the event. I promote other events that feed into the main event. We also have someone that does the team marketing. So, for teams that might be having a fundraiser or something, she does more of that end of it. And then my entertainment area is right at Relay, finding whether it's local entertainment or coming up with some type of entertainment for the day. Stephanie, how did you get involved initially? I started in 2007. My husband and I, my parents are both cancer survivors. Thank goodness. I lost my grandpa in 1990 to cancer, so that was my very first part with it. But in 2007, we started and haven't looked back. We just keep going. Is this the first year you've been an event leader? Have you done that previously? No, this is my third year as event lead. And that's just helped coordinate the whole event then? Yes. Is it fair to say that most people who get involved with Relay for Life from the planning aspect has a personal connection of some kind to cancer for the most part? Yes. I would say definitely. We want to talk basic info just about the history of the event. So, how long has there been a relay in Beltrami County? This is our 22nd year. Would you say that it continues to grow? Are you kind of stable? Is it kind of going through a down portion? Where are you kind of at in terms of overall involvement and excitement? I would... Number-wise, we are down. But I would have to say last year, excitement and motivation-wise was one of our best years. So, I think we're kind of in a downturn, but I hope we're going back up with the big changes cycles. Yes, absolutely. We're not any different than anyone else. We have a lot of teams that have been with us for many, many, many years and they continue to come. And we welcome those that are new. They might have just had a close call with cancer or someone they know is diagnosed, someone they love. Maybe they're fighting themselves. So, we are always welcoming new members and new involvements. We're going to get to some of the changes that are coming up this year. It's just soon enough. But before we get there, we want people at home to be able to kind of picture what the event is for those who haven't been there. So, we talk about a relay for life. People picture a walk, right? There's a walk involved. So, tell us a little bit about what else happens though because there's more that's there than just simply walking, correct? Absolutely. We have a lot of fun. It is the best way I can describe it is probably a carnival kind of an atmosphere because there's games, there's entertainment, there's music, there's food, all kinds of food. There's other fundraisers that each team will sponsor at the event. It's free admission as far as getting into the event. There's free parking, but teams will sell items or food or that type of thing as part of their fundraising efforts. But it is just a lot of fun. Something for absolutely every age out there. We have little children that come. We have the elderly. We have, of course, cancer patients. We have families. We have people that have no cancer connection or relay connection. They just come and enjoy all the festivities. We know that there's teams that work toward raising their fundraising goals throughout the year, but if I'm hearing you correctly then you also have a certain percentage of just the public who shows up that day just to take in whatever's there. Correct, correct. Do you think people understand that? That you don't have to necessarily be a team member. You don't have to necessarily be involved with the fundraising. You're just welcome for community support and celebration of those who are battling and surviving? I think we were a little surprised. We had a booth at the home show a couple years ago and people came up to our booth and actually voiced that while we don't have a connection to cancer or we're not on a team and we're like, no, you can definitely come. You are very welcome. And that's one thing we've struggled with is to let people know, hey, it is a community event period. It is there for everybody's enjoyment. And yes, there's funds being raised and awareness being raised for the cancer fight. It's a day-long event, correct? I mean, it's not just a couple hours. I mean, you go consistently for all day? This year it's 10 hours. It has been 12 hours in the past, but we're going 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. this year. But certainly people don't have to stay for the whole thing. They come, they pop in, pop out. Absolutely. We have people come for opening ceremony, which is at 11 o'clock. And then don't come back for normally the survivor ceremonies at 6 p.m. We don't have it set in stone yet what it's going to be this year, but we have people come and go. Okay. And you're more than welcome to come and go. Come check out what it is and have some fun. So the changes that are happening this year is, first of all, the timing, correct? You've typically been earlier in the year than what it's going to be this year. So tell us a little bit, Stephanie, about when it was before and when it will be this year. It has been seven of the last eight years. It has been in July. Okay. And we are moving to September this year. September 22nd is our relay this year. What prompted that or what was the discussions that kind of led to that? The feedback from participants, not only participants on the team, but just people that came to relay or talked to us after relay. Summer's hard. They've got too many other things going on in the summer and not enough weekends of nice weather. So we listened and we moved it. They either asked for spring or fall and fall is what worked out for this year, so we're trying it. Okay. And then it's also changing location. Yep. We have been at the Sanford Center for several years now and we decided that being that it is moving to September, that might be also something that we wanted to look at because another thing that we kind of got from the feedback was that they liked the outdoor event. However, we've always run into weather. Historically, it seems like every year we have some typically type of weather, whether it's rain or storms, electrical storms or whatever. So we had moved into the Sanford Center. With being out at the fairgrounds, we can have probably the best of both worlds, weather cooperating, although we do have the indoor option totally if we need to. Okay. So you're going to be out at the fairgrounds with the intention, hopefully, if Mother Nature cooperates of being outside, but if there isn't cooperative weather, you can relocate indoors? We're going to be in the commercial building and the 4-H building. Okay. And we hope to have between the two, like some of our activities like the Home Depot or the dunk tank or minnow races and the car show and all of that kind of stuff. And we will have part of our track be outside, but obviously if it's pouring down rain, you don't have to walk outside. Okay. So we're doing both weather dependent, but we have the indoor totally if we need it, but we can do best of both worlds, we hope. Is it coincidental that both changes are occurring within the same year, or did you go through a fairly thorough evaluation process last year or what kind of led to them being tied together? I think we've been hearing the desire for a different date and the outside atmosphere for several years. And we were kind of tied up with the Sanford at the time, so I think it just kind of all fell into place this year. If we're going to make a change, we might as well change everything we decided. And make my job, you know, a little harder to do. You got it. I know. So it was a big push this spring, obviously being here. I mean, is it to get the word out that come July? It's not that it's not happening. It's still coming up. Yes. Okay. Yes. Biggest, probably the biggest reason that we came on is that, but we're always wanting to let people know when it is because people love it. And I guarantee if you haven't experienced it before and you do this year, you'll be hooked. You'll be hooked. It's a fun event. That's interesting. Talk about the mood of the event, because you kind of think it's cancer survivors that it would perhaps be kind of solemn and kind of not necessarily sad, but reflective, but you talk about it being kind of fun and you're like laughing and smiling. So it must have a different atmosphere to it. There is parts of it that are very somber and emotional, like the luminary ceremony. Personally, that one gets me every time, but we are celebrating our survivors and we are celebrating the people we have lost. So yes, we try and make it be a very upbeat, fun 10 hours. There is time for sadness, but there's also a lot of laughter. We have a lot of fun. We do very much so. Our theme this year is Disney. So we're really excited to see what our teams come up with as far as costumes and we're excited to see all the little kids dressed up too. We had Elsa and somebody else a couple of years ago and seeing the little kids come in and their princess outfits and what have you, it's a blast. And the target dog is usually there and we have had a lot of mascots come and so the kids really like that. And honestly, I think the DILT is kind of like it too. It's really a lot of fun. Again, it's just, if you haven't been there, it's not just an event, it's an experience and it's a good experience overall. You talked about a theme. Is there a different theme every year to kind of just re-engenerize the teams or does it kind of have every, what's the point of the theme? We ask the team captains if they want to do a theme. Okay. And even though we pick a theme, you're not required to do the theme. Some teams don't decorate their booths with our theme, but a lot do and it's a lot of fun seeing everything all decked out. And a couple of years ago, we had City of Hope. So there was, it looked like walking down Main Street. It's just, it's fun. It's fun to see what people come up with. It helps energize, you know. It gets the team, I suppose, right? Exactly. It's evolved in advance. They're brainstorming, they're excited about it. So we threw out a bunch of options this year and they picked Disney. So Disney Wish Upon a Cure is our theme this year. Yeah. We're excited. I want to go back. I forgot to ask about how long are you kind of locked into the fairgrounds? If you find that for whatever reason this doesn't fit, can, you know, will you go back, are you open to going back? If need be, you know, what I'm saying, I mean, are you locked in for three years or no? No. A year to year contract. Okay. So the relay is obviously the main event each year, right? I mean, that's your big, that's your big splash. But you do things throughout the year in addition, right, to keep people thinking about cancer research and raising funds and support. So tell me about some of the other events that you do throughout the year in addition to the big one. Bark for Life is one. Bark for Life? Bark. Okay. It's our canine friends. Oh. Because they're just as important to you as your significant other or a family member. Some people, that's what gets them through is having a cat or a dog. So we do a walk with the dogs. It's actually on June 10th at Diamond Point Park this year from one to three. That's one of them we do. We do, a lot of the teams do individual things throughout the year. They, there's everything from, of course, the garage sales and bake sales, taco, fry bread taco sales, root beer float sales. We've worked the Sanford concessions where we get a percentage over there. There's a lot of things, very creative things that people come up with. We have one of our committee members actually has kind of, she's kind of the crocheting guru. And she has sold a lot of items over the last couple years. And that's been her main fundraiser. And she is a cancer survivor. And so she, she has really went kind of gung-ho on that. So there's a lot of other things too. I know that the cornhole during the. We're part of Dragon Boat. Yeah, we're part of Dragon Boat. There's a team that, there's two teams that come from Canada that are all survivors. And then we have a team that are survivors or they're caregivers that have one of the most. So we're part of that. The cornhole on Thursday night goes to relay. And then we also sell cupcakes during the race on Saturday and all of that money goes to relay also. So that's a fundraiser for us too. BSU does a relay at BSU. They had it in March. And that's a feeder event for ours. Okay. So you're all kind of together, right? You're all in the same mission, right? So you're kind of like one family. Yep. Yep. And so all these events throughout the year, not only do they bring in money, but do they also help people kind of think year-round then? Yes, absolutely. Even though it's got one giant event each year. Absolutely. You know, the luminaries is, is one thing that's at relay every year and people can purchase them for a suggested donation. And they can decorate them any way they want to and bring them back or give them to one of our members. And we have them at relay and they get lit up when it gets dark. That is one that, that's one of the, you know, fundraisers right at relay. But it's sold throughout the year. We have a silent auction at relay, which is, you know, a separate event within the event. And a lot of donated really awesome stuff that they can bid on. So that's kind of fun. Sometimes they have a little bidding wars and it just, I mean, it's just an overall very fun event. We kind of go off on the hope. It's, it's the celebration of our survivors, the celebration of the ones we've lost. But it's also the celebration of hope because we have made big strides in, in recent years with, with cancer research and treatments. And, you know, then we have Hope Lodge, which there are two in Minnesota. They are lodges where a cancer patient and one caregiver can stay for free. There's one in the cities and one in, down in Rochester. And then we have other programs that, you know, it's not all research and that it's a big part, but there's a lot of other things that relay supports. Okay. Let's talk a little bit about what happens with those funds, because you have, I mean, obviously it's a big event, it's a fun event, but the purpose is to kind of bring in money, right? So you have these teams that work pretty much year-round, some of them, right? You're going to bring in as much money as they can. Do you have a set goal for what you want Beltrami County Relay for Life specifically to bring in every year? Okay, we do. Our goal this year is 101,000. 101,000, okay. Is that based on how you've done in years past that you kind of set that benchmark? Yes. Three years ago, we hit over 107,000 and that was our highest, but I can tell you we were all on a high when we found out the number and it was really easy to go into next year and be, you know, the wheels turned in, but there's a lot that gets figured out to give us a benchmark of where we think we want to be and then we pick a number and say that's what we're shooting for. And then each team kind of set, can set its own goal. Correct. Correct. And then is there a minimum that they have to raise to be considered part of the team or anything like that? No, okay. You can be a team of one. You don't, you can be a virtual team. There's so many ways to get involved. You don't have to put out, I mean there's, Stuffy and I, we kind of live Relay, but there's a lot of people that have a passion, but they, you know, they don't want to be overly involved, but they want to, you know, do something and, and so you can be a team of one and you can be a virtual team, so you don't even have to be at the event per se and you can still raise funds and donate them. Okay. How many teams, roughly, Bell Park do you have each year? We currently have 21 registered right now. Okay. Our goal is 30 for this year, so we're, we're getting there and we still have a little time, so sure, especially now that it's later. Exactly. All the money raised goes to the American Cancer Society? Yes. I want to talk a little bit about what the American Cancer Society does. I know, Cindy, you just touched on some of it a little bit here, but I looked up a few numbers not to throw out too many stats here, but last year there was 406 million in research grants, 1.2 million for support calls or chats, and then 456,000 for lodge nights at Hope Lodge, so I want to kind of pull out a little bit about that, but the cancer research obviously is a big, a big hook for people. Do you watch, I mean, as participants, do you watch to see what happens with all those grants to see what they, I mean, is it exciting to feel like you're part of it? We just got, again, you saying don't want to dwell on numbers, but we just got some info that to me was astronomical since August 1st of 2017, just in Minnesota, they've given 12 grants for over 5,715,000, and that's just in Minnesota in the last, what, 10 months? Yeah, so that was, that's cool to me. And we've had lots and lots of award-winning research 47 ACS-funded research went on to win Nobel Prizes. 47? 47. Yeah, so what we're, what we're doing is working, I mean, that's cancer deaths are down. 26% decreased since 1991. Yeah. Do you feel, when you hear stats, like do you feel a part of it, like does that help knowing that you are actively supporting toward it? Do you feel a connection with that? Yes. Yeah, you do, you feel really proud, you do, you feel like you've made a difference in somebody's life. In addition to just the research and hoping that you can help people get better, right? There's also the support services that go on for those who are going through the process. And so they talk about these cancer information specialists and they're available 24-7. What exactly is that and how is that beneficial if you already have the doctors and the nurses and the medical staff? Yes, you can have your doctors and nurses, but they're not 24-7. You can't call your doctor at home, you can call this 800 number, the cancer information line and talk to someone 24-7. Three o'clock in the morning, if you just need to talk to somebody, you have questions going through your head, you call that number and you're going to talk to somebody. And it's not just a volunteer sitting at a phone, they're trained. I mean, if you have questions about your diet and things aren't going good with that, they get you to a dietitian and they're trained people. And if they don't have the answer, they're going to get you the answer and get back to you right away. So you're not just calling and hearing somebody who's looking something up in a book or online, right? Exactly. I mean, they're coming with actual knowledge and training that actually. Absolutely. They also do support groups, they help do equipment and all this, correct? Yeah. Important parts of the journey. Yes. Very important parts. Even at Relay, we help with a little bit of that. We have the Pantene Beautiful Links donation. So grow out your hair ladies and men. They need eight inches. And so, you know, you can get your hair cut right there and donate it right there. The nice thing that we love about Pantene is that they do not charge for their wigs. And so that's been a really big driving force on using them. But we have actually licensed stylists that cut your hair that day and then they donate the hair. So we are supporting that end of it too that day. People hear that and if you haven't maybe talked to somebody personally or maybe don't know, why is it important to look good, feel good programs and all those that help people kind of the wigs and feel better about their appearances as they go through the process? Why is that important? I can say from a personal standpoint, my very good friend got cancer and I went through her whole cancer journey with her because she doesn't have children. She has four-legged children, but she doesn't have kids. So I went through her cancer journey with her and she lost her eyebrows and her eyelet when she lost all her hair. But sitting in this look good feel better and learning how to put on makeup, even though she knew how to put on makeup, but now that you don't have eyebrows and eyelashes and what have you, it was amazing to see her go from, I don't have eyebrows, I don't, you know, to the smile on her face and the fun sitting in there with three other people learning about this, how to style a wig, how to anything. There was an elderly lady in there who, from start to finish, she was, you could tell, not in a very good place when she got there and she left with a new wig on that was styled and her face all done and a kid you know, she said, I'm going to go out and knock my husband's socks off. And to see her from the start of that to the end of that, that it was, it's just amazing. They make you feel beautiful again. Even if it's for that, that two hours, even if that's all it is, but they get to go home with a cosmetic bag full of makeup and all kinds of stuff that ranges from $300 to $700. And it's just, it's amazing. It's just one more aspect of helping someone through this journey. So when you're feeling more yourself, if you're feeling at least attractive or pretty or you know, you're not worried about staying overnight or where you're going to stay or how you're going to get to treatment the next day because they're helping give you a ride, does that allow the patient or the person who's really fighting them to focus on getting better? Yes, absolutely. And it also helps the family because I've done a lot of caregiving both for, you know, for my dad when he had cancer and then for others. And the caregiving journey isn't an easy one either. And so if you don't have to worry about how you're going to get them to treatment or where you're going to stay because financially, it's not just having an available room. Financially you're being hit from every corner of the world. And so to have a free place to stay and the Hope Lodges are beautiful. And they, we're hoping to also do some type of a stuff the truck or trailer where we're kind of in the talks of it, but for the Hope Lodges because they do take donations, they need donations, but everything to the cancer patient and their caregiver is free. And so, and then if there is not a Hope Lodge, you know, we provide rooms or discounts to rooms in other areas where their treatment may be. So you have a few months now till your September event. Still time to get involved? Are you still looking for volunteers and people to get involved to say they want to be a part of us? Always, always, yep. Well, thank you ladies for joining me today. Thank you for having us. If you would like to learn more or if you would like to get involved or to find a place where you can help out with the process, you can visit either the Facebook page or the website which is both listed here at the bottom of the screen. In the meantime, thank you for joining me. Please join me next time.