Relay for Life raises $458,000

BRASELTON - By the time the 12-hour Hall County Relay for Life was over Saturday morning, nearly half a million dollars had been raised for the American Cancer Society.

The event ended at 7:00 at Road Atlanta... and shortly afterward, event co-chair Ron Combs said just over $458,000 of the $570,000 goal had been raised and he said he was confident that the goal would be reached by the time the money has to be turned in later this year. More than $350,000 had been raised by the time the event started, Cobbs said Friday night.

Combs called this year's turnout "phenomenal."

“We had 97 relay teams last year, the most we’ve ever had. We were hoping for 100 (this year). We’ve got 125 teams this year,” Combs said at the start of the even.

The Relay, easily Hall County’s biggest annual outdoor event, attracted thousands of spectators who either walked or rode in on school buses from the parking areas to support and watch.

Organizers said the Relay had grown so large it had to be moved to a bigger site and that's why Road Atlanta became the host venue.

The traditional relay leadoff was once again performed by the cancer survivors.

It was a busy afternoon for retired educator Dot Adams, who along with her friends and colleagues with the Gainesville-Hall Retired Educators registered survivors for the ceremonial survivors walk.

She is a one and a half year survivor whose cancer went into remission after a year of treatment from December 2007 to December 2008 which included surgery and 28 radiation treatments. She said she does not miss a chance to let victims know they can survive.

“When I find out people have cancer,” Dot Adams said, “I’m sure to call them and tell them what I went through so they’ll know that you can survive it.”