Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.

Watauga Relay For Life Gears Up For 2008

Story by David Brewer and Garrett Simmons

You can’t go very far in Watauga County without noticing the visual evidence that links people in this area to Relay For Life. Joggers on the Greenway or at the gym frequently don their Relay shirts, while drivers all over town proudly display purple bumper stickers on their cars and trucks.

From February to June, local publications feature stories, advertisements and calendar listings for a seemingly endless stream of spaghetti dinners, car washes and other fundraisers that have, over the last several years, garnered Watauga County first or second place in the nation for money raised. At Monday night’s 2008 Watauga Relay For Life kickoff event, guest speaker and cancer survivor David Bradley called the Watauga Relay a dynasty, comparing the event’s legendary award-winning status to that of the ASU football team.

Indeed, the Watauga County Relay For Life seems to have taken on a life of its own, growing annually to greater heights in the fight against cancer. The tireless efforts of thousands of Watauga residents and the indomitable spirit of hundreds of local cancer survivors have been the driving forces behind the event’s growth and annual success.

New in 2008 is a changed Relay motto: Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. The simple, three-part mantra encapsulates the spirit of Relay and why so many choose to participate.

Watauga Relay Co-Chair Sharon Trivette is totally honest regarding the difficulties she and fellow Co-Chair Glenda Hodges face in getting energized year after year to run full-tilt fundraising operations from February to June. Helping put the room back in order at Deerfield United Methodist Church on Monday, the Relay veteran sighed, admitting that she doesn’t really know how they continue year after year.

But then she said, “You just look down the list of survivors and go, ‘how could I not?’”

In 1995, Trivette’s father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer. Soon afterwards, she received a notice in the mail about Relay’s Luminaria program, and she’s been involved ever since.

Under the leadership of Trivette and Hodges in 2007, the Watauga Relay had the best survivor participation in the country in its population category, finished second in the nation in fundraising in its population category and had 100 percent school participation from schools in Watauga County. Trivette’s daughter Tara received an award for Outstanding Student Leadership in the South Atlantic Division.

Trivette and Hodges know that cancer doesn’t take time off or get tired or get overwhelmed with responsibilities. Their unwavering dedication to the Watauga Relay For Life is something that every person in this community can be proud of.