Relay for Life of St. Croix is in its 23rd year of bringing awareness to the community of what support means: start a team, join a team, volunteer from June 1 at 4 p.m. to June 2 at noon at the St. Croix Educational Complex.
The Fabulous Five is the organization of volunteers who work tirelessly to bring together Relay for Life each year. They can be seen outside Kmart, Cost-U-Less, and The Market selling T-shirts and sharing information about the upcoming annual event.
The event was always at the end of May, Relay for Life Chairperson Yvonne Webster Pryce told the Source. “We held the relay in October in 2022 and 2023 because of the coronavirus. We want to get back to having it at the end of May, although it’s a bit soon after having it this past October. We brought in $375,000 in 2023. This year, we’re not near that amount because we are so close to the last relay — just a few months,” Pryce said. All of the money received stays in the community to aid the patients, Pryce added.
The organization is still collecting from those people who have promised donations. They have until the end of December to pay in for this year, 2024, Pryce said.
Teams consist of 15 to 22 members. Each member pledges to get donations of at least $100 each. A 15-member team has a commitment fee of $1,500 plus the T-shirt cost. “They go out and beg, and beg, and beg,” Pryce shared.
The opening ceremony is 4 p.m. That is when the teams begin to walk around the track with a banner bearing the name of the team. They continue to walk the track throughout the evening. There is always someone walking the track.
The highlight of the evening is the lighting of the luminaries all around the track, which is for survivors or persons who have passed from cancer. On the bleachers, candles will be lit when all the lights on the field have been turned off.
The candles on the bleachers spell out the word HOPE. “I cry, I cry every year, and I’ve done it for so many years. It is very, very, sentimental,” Pryce shared.
And we all are survivors, Pryce said. The survivors are treated like royalty, Pryce continued. They get a package and their T-shirts are a different color, she added.
During the night, people continue to walk the track. They walk all night long until the next day at noon, Pryce said.
Anyone interested in participating must have a T-shirt to enter. T-shirts can be purchased at the entrance for $20. Participants must wear sneakers to enter and walk the track.
Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights will entertain in addition to other fabulous entertainers, Pryce said.
The Source spoke with some of the folks outside The Market and asked about their motivation for donating and purchasing T-shirts.
Alesia Greenaway is in the last stages of her pregnancy with her due date of next week. Greenaway was moved to donate because “my family has cancer. Right now, my uncle has cancer.” Greenaway plans to attend the relay. “I will stand by, but I won’t walk the track,” she said.
Brent and Jennifer Metts are visiting from Richmond, Virginia. “We’ve had quite a few people pass from cancer in our family … both sets of our parents and our stepparents,” Brent said. The couple will be leaving on Thursday before the relay. Brent is a runner and does a lot of this kind of participation for cancer awareness. “We’ve had some tough family times, so we’re always happy to give,” Brent said.
Supporting Relay for Life in your community means supporting:
Financial assistance for USVI residents during active cancer treatments for services related to the patient’s diagnosis, as well as ground and air transportation to and from treatment.
Prevention and early detection programs such as screening mammograms, colonoscopies, and assistance for diagnostic testing in the territory.
Lodging and transportation for USVI patients when their cancer treatment is far away from home.
Cancer education and materials are available in printed form or by calling 1-800-ACS-2345 to speak with a cancer specialist 24/7.
Continued organizational support to local volunteers as they fundraise and advance the mission of the American Cancer Society in the USVI.
In the middle of the grounds, there’s an oversized chair that’s available for folks to take photos. The fee starts at $5 and increases by the number of people in the photos. It’s a fun way to be counted and documented at the Relay for Life 2024.
For more information:
1-800-227-2345
Yvonne Webster Pryce, Chairperson, 340-642-1500
Urylee Burke, Co-Chairperson, 340-643-1256
Martha Mills, Teams Coordinator, 340-690-6416
Rosalie Javois, Survivors Coordinator, 340-513-4620
Lucie Rodriguez, Luminaries Coordinator, 340-643-5504
RelayforLife.org/stcroixvi
