Relay For Life Comes to the Survivors in Wilton CT This Coming Weekend!
This is the most amazing and fun event of the year. I became involved in the Survivors' Dinner event three years ago, and keep returning eagerly every year! The stories that are shared with me in the weeks leading up to the event are both heartwarming and heart breaking.
Each year, we have a large tent with tables and chairs reserved for the Survivors and their caregivers on the evening of the Relay For Life. Beginning at approximately 3 pm, the Survivors begin to arrive. They all seem to know where to go to find their tent. I check them in, and in the process give them a ticket for the "give aways" after dinner. I have spent the three weeks prior to the event walking into the merchants around town asking for either a gift certificate, or a gift. We wrap the items, and bring the whole pile to the tent for the evening.
Merchants in town have also donated the fabulous dinner for the event, - everyone in town is so generous!!!! At five o'clock we have dinner, and during desert is my time to have some fun. This year I might actually have a mike, so I won't have to hollar over the band next to us..... I bring all of the gifts and all of the tickets to the back of the tent, and begin calling out who the merchant is, and the ticket number. There are so many fun - and funny!- stories for me to relate by the time of the actual event, that we all have quite a time of it.
I will place these in little containers this year for the center pieces....
If I feel that I won't have enough gifts so every survivor will go home with something, I will pull some plants from my garden and put them in pots. I will make them look festive and place them in the center of the tables, also... The center pieces (which are flowers from my gardens) also go home with anyone who wants them....... Everyone goes home with something in their hands!!!! So cool! The shoemaker donates a really cool wooden shoe box, the jeweler donates a Pandora bracelet, there are gift certificates for tailoring, dry cleaning, manicures and pedicures, books,personal training sessions, awesome basket of goodies from a pet food store, designing a room (from an AR stager!), etc. It makes me almost cry to list the generosity of all of these people!!!!
I never take my camera, so I don't need to worry about where I left it, therefore I don't have pictures. Maybe I'll get someone to take them for me this year. All in all - a really, really special evening!
Relay For Life Comes to the Survivors in Wilton CT This Coming Weekend!
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