For her final year as chair, it was not a surprise that at this year's Relay for Life opening ceremonies, which took place on June 20 at the Parham fairgrounds, Lesley Merrigan called Tonya Eastman to the stage and dedicated the 2015 Relay to Eastman's mother, Claire Macfarlane, whom Merrigan called the First Lady of the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life.

Together they unfurled a banner recognizing Claire for her efforts as the Parham relay's founder and the person who inspired Merrigan to take the torch and run with it. Merrigan has led the charge with much poise and dedication over her four years as chair. This year's relay was her first since Claire passed away just one month ago on May 20, and it was an emotional one for Lesley.

The relay took place under sunny skies and a total of 15 teams and 152 participants took part. Past relays were all-night events that took place from dusk to dawn. This was the first 12-hour relay and it proved to be a moving and memorable one, with a stellar line up of local musicians entertaining the relayers and a number of fun activities that took place.

Emceed by Jim MacPherson and Lindsay Fox, the opening ceremonies included a number of guest speakers. Central Frontenac Mayor, Frances Smith, spoke, saying how small communities are making a huge contribution to cancer research and support for local residents.

Penny Cota was this year's survivor speaker and following her speech a mass of yellow-shirted survivors took to the field, making the first lap to the sounds of Shawn McCullough's original and fitting tune titled “Fight”.

Doug Kane, unit manager at the Kingston Lennox and Addington Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), thanked the participants and explained exactly how the funds raised stay in the local community and fund prevention programs and screening, advocacy programs, information services, peer support and transportation services. He cited statistics like the fact that in 2014 in Frontenac Lennox and Addington, the CCS funded over 5600 trips for cancer patients, covering 157,000kms.

Chris O'Callahan, senior investigator with the National Cancer Institute of Canada, a research and clinical trials group based out of Queens University in Kingston and a national scientific research program of the Canadian Cancer Society, spoke in depth about his organization's work, which includes trials of new drugs, new surgeries and new treatments and how these trials that run nationally and internationally are helping to make advances in cancer research and survivor outcomes.

While this year will be Merrigan's last as chair, she was quick to add that her days of helping are definitely not over. She thanked the participants and the sponsors and said that this community continues to “blow her away with their overwhelming support and generosity for this event”.

This year's Relay raised $45,200, and including this year’s total, since 2007 the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life has raised over $452,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The 2015 Relay For Life is just around the corner. Currently, we have 149 participants registered on 15 teams ready to hit the track on June 20 at noon. The day will start with campsite set-up from 8 until 10:30am and we are hoping to get underway with our opening ceremonies at 11:45am. We have an extensive lineup of talented musicians throughout the 12-hour day as well as a volleyball tourney, games, vendors, Relay Swag, and information.

After introductions and formalities, Our Survivor Lap will begin in the infield. If you haven’t registered and are a survivor, please do so by contacting Sarah Sauve 613-484-6479 or Lesley Merrigan at 613-483-1839. A Survivor is considered to be anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer no matter what kind, when or where it was located. If you have ever heard the words “You have cancer”, you are a survivor and we would love to have you come celebrate with us. We will be having a special strawberry social for the survivors following opening ceremonies.

Holding this event during daylight hours will mean a few changes to how we do business. Luminaries will still be sold and decorated and placed around the track. However, our luminary ceremony will not be held until dusk, so we encourage spectators to stick around for that or return to the site to participate. The luminary ceremony is the most moving ceremony of the evening and is a chance for us to remember all those whose battles have ended and honour those that are continuing their cancer fight. Parking for ALL vehicles will be at the old school site in Parham, accessible from Long Lake Road. We do encourage spectators and family and friends to come and join us. Spectator bracelets can be purchased at the gate for $10 each. There will be food available from the Anglican and United Churches as well as numerous vendors in attendance. Our silent auction, which is always a great hit, will be held most of the day as it is going to be done lottery style this year. If you would like to donate an item to our auction, please bring it with you to the event or contact Lesley Merrigan or Connie McLellan.

We hope that you can come and fight cancer with us at the largest fundraiser to make the biggest impact on the Canadian Cancer Society’s mission to eradicate cancer and support those living with the disease. In 2014 the Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington Unit office drove over 150,000 kilometres to ensure cancer patients made it to their treatments and appointments. Millions of clinical trials are performed across the country but we also have numerous groundbreaking research projects happening right in Kingston that are funded by Relay For Life donor dollars! Your support and your dollars DO support those in our area. If you are already registered as a participant, thank you for accepting the baton. If you are a volunteer, thank you for your commitment. If you are free on June 20, join our area cancer survivors and community members in making cancer history.  

In June 2011, I shared the stage at Relay For Life with an amazing leader; a lady who had the determination to accomplish anything that came into her mind. It was on that stage that I first thanked her for bringing Relay For Life to our area and for showing our community, participants and volunteers alike, how it’s done. I said at that event, that without Claire Macfarlane, there would be no Relay For Life at the Parham fairgrounds. She is now, and will forever be, the First Lady Of Relay For Life North & Central Frontenac.

Claire was not new to volunteering as I was back then. She played numerous roles with the Canadian Cancer Society dating back to 1994. She was a residential campaign canvasser, community services chair, transportation coordinator, volunteer coordinator, volunteer driver as well as the Chair of Relay for Life from inception in 2007. And these positions overlapped each other. She had a way of knowing how to get things done.

In 2009, a friend said, “I could use your help on the Relay committee” and of course I signed up. My first impression was that Claire must be a self-employed business woman because she led her group in a very organized “time is valuable” way. Everyone was very task oriented and the meeting ran like a well-oiled machine. I was impressed that we were going to pull off this fantastic event in Parham with a budget of exactly $0.

But what an event it was! I had participated on a team the year before but being on the committee had a new set of demands. There were moments I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it, and I was the event MC!!! I had to dig really deep to find the energy to finish. Finally, Claire made the announcement that our efforts had raised over $65,000. She was beaming. No matter what the total, her face said it all. It was the face of someone who had accomplished something to be proud of and she shared that accomplishment with each of us. I felt it then, and I always feel it when I am at Relay For Life. The feeling that a small community of 6500 plus, can come together, walk together, share their stories, share their fears and at the end of the day, feel empowered by giving. This was what Claire wanted. She wanted us all to come together to support each other and empower each other. I have been with the event ever since.

When Claire asked if I would be co-chair with her, I asked what I had to do and she said my most important task was to “pay attention”. I tried my best. As we went through planning the 2011 event I made it my mission to learn everything I needed to in order to continue this event in our area. She taught me the importance of delegation and team work as well as attention to detail. She reinforced my life motto, as in “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission”. She showed me how to rally people and get them excited about helping. But mostly, she encouraged me when things got stressful. She told me that things will always work out the way they are supposed to. And she was right of course.

In early 2013 I got the news that my friend and fellow cancer fighter had the disease that we had fought so hard against. It didn’t seem possible to me. And even if she did, there was no doubt in my mind that she would beat it. That year, our leadership team attacked our tasks with new found energy and vigor. We invited Claire to be our survivor speaker for 2013 and we also started “Claire’s Caped Cancer Crusaders- A community team” that welcomes any and all members to relay. In her survivor address, Claire spoke of the “Why Me” thoughts that she had through her battle with cancer; and that she never thought that she would attend Relay as a Survivor.

In 2013, Relay For Life North & Central grossed the highest amount of fundraised money -$72,000.

Well Claire, because of you, many people have attended Relay as survivors for a lot longer than they could have without you. Our little Relay For Life community has raised a little better than $406,000 since 2007, when there was a little lady with a plan and a deep-seated love to help others. Claire, I will miss your emails of encouragement especially on the morning of June 20, when I start my last Relay For Life as Chair. My team and I will try our best to do you proud. We will miss your smiling face this year and in the years to come. Thank you for bringing Relay For Life to us and for your dedication to finding a cure. Every ride to treatment in this area, every supportive call that is made and every dollar raised from our community through this event is because of you. You will never be forgotten, my friend.

(Editor’s note: Claire Macfarlane-England sadly passed away at Perth Hospital on May 20, 2015, with her family by her side. The North & Central Frontenac Relay for Life will take place on Saturday June 20 from noon to midnight at the Parham fairgrounds)

by Lesley Merrigan

The Relay For Life leadership team is hosting a breakfast on Saturday, May 16, at the IOOF hall in Parham. This event will be an opportunity for those Relayers who have been hesitant in registering their team due to the increased registration cost, an opportunity to get their team signed up for $10 each! It is a great way to show your support to our cancer fighters as well. Breakfast is from 8 to 11am and will consist of pancakes and sausage complete with beverages. $7 for adults; $5 for kids; 12 and under. We will also have some live music with an acoustic guitar with a few of the fellows from One Busted Ego.

Our Relay For Life this year will begin at noon on Saturday, June 20, and run until midnight. It is hoped that this change in timing will allow those who have never participated because of the overnight commitment, to come spend 12 hours fighting cancer with an awesome line up of music, some great food and of course, our moving luminary ceremony that will honour cancer survivors as well as those who have lost their battle to cancer. Luminaries will be on sale at the breakfast on Saturday at the cost of $5 each. Any vendor who is interested in having a table of their wares at the relay can come and pick up their information as well. For more information on being a vendor at our June 20 event, please email Lyann Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Penny Cota at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Survivors can register for the strawberry social and the victory lap on Saturday morning as well. We will have forms at the hall. If you know of someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, you can also take a form for them so that they may attend and be part of the celebration.

So if you are registered for the 2015 Relay for Life, this is an opportunity to come and ask questions, enjoy breakfast and hand in any collected money that you might have. If you are not registered yet, you will be able to sign up your team at a cost of $10 each. A team can be made with as few as 4 or 5 and no maximum. There is also the community team that will allow individuals to register and participate as well. For more information on anything Relay, you can contact Lesley Merrigan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call her cell at 613-483-1839. Thanks to all in our community for your continued support in making cancer history.

At the kick off event for this year's 2015 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, which took place at the Sharbot Lake Legion on January 23, long-time chair Lesley Merrigan announced that it would be her final year heading up the event.

Merrigan, who has been part of the relay for eight years and chair for the last four, said that it is time for a change in leadership. “Every good thing needs to be refreshed and people in the community here need an opportunity to take the event to a new height. For that reason I think that it's time for a new leader to step in.”

Merrigan credited her long-time leadership team for making the event such a success, which over its eight-year history has raised close to half a million dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society. “As chair you get all of the glory but it is the leadership team, which has changed very little over my four years as chair, that have made the event such a success.” Merrigan stressed that her stepping down is no way a sad thing and she looks forward to seeing a new, fresh face take up the cause.

Nine new teams signed up at the kick off on Friday night, making a total of 13 committed teams for this year's relay. Organizers are hoping for 20 teams to participate. Merrigan admitted that that will be a challenge since a number of survivors who have relayed for years unfortunately lost their battles with cancer this past year.

With that in mind Merrigan added that the event is the perfect place to be for those who have lost loved ones to the disease. “Cancer and the loss of loved ones is often not an easy thing to come to terms with but it is often the sadness, the anger and the frustration that that drives us and so many others to take part.” Merrigan is putting out the call to past relayers, especially in the north, to join up this year and said that she may be able to arrange transportation for them.

Though this will be Merrigan's last year as chair, she is putting as much into this relay as she has in the past and has already announced some interesting changes for the 2015. Instead of commencing on Friday night and running straight through until Saturday morning, the relay will begin in Parham on Saturday, June 20 at noon and run until midnight that same day. A lot of participants have found that relaying overnight is difficult, can interfere with work and can be exhausting, and Merigan said, "The hope is that more relayers will take part and we believe that the time change will make it easier for youngsters and older participants.”

Merrigan said that more daylight hours at the event will also allow for more activities to take place that otherwise might not have been possible. The luminary ceremony, which is one of the most emotional and visually beautiful happenings at the Relay will continue, and as one of the final events of the evening will make for a very emotional ending. Also new this year will be a great line up of local bands, and new activities, which will be announced as plans unfold.

Merrigan said that she is stepping down as chair with no regrets at all and she plans to continue volunteering in the community.

As far as her advice to a new leader, she said that they should have no fear. “When you are doing something community based in this community you cannot fail. This is an important cause and because of that there will always be people who want to support you.”

Merrigan will be available to mentor the incoming chair and she stressed that the role presents a great opportunity to fulfill the need to give back to the community. “I have seen so many people come to Relay as a way to express all of the mixed feelings that go along with experiencing cancer. The event gives permission to people to demonstrate and experience their emotions in ways that normally they would not and to do so with people who are experiencing the same feelings. I feel very privileged to have been a part of that over the years.”

For more information about the relay or if you are interested in chairing next year's event contact Lesley Merrigan at 613-279-3144 or Christine Teal at 613-375-6525. You can also visit www.relayforlife.ca

By Lesley Merrigan

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and there is a buzz of planning for summer fun. This year, Summer Solstice is also the same weekend as the Relay For Life, which will be held in Parham on June 20. That is why the Relay Leadership team has decided to adopt a Solstice theme. We will be celebrating everything that summer is about in decoration and costume. We will be focusing on summer sun safety as it plays a critical role in cancer prevention as well as physical activity for total body health.

Summer is a time of planting and regrowth and starting fresh. It’s a time of water, and sun and beaches and fun. Our hope is that you come and celebrate survivors and remember the cancer warriors who have not survived. It is time to join the fight! Our 2015 goal is to have at least 20 teams of 7 + folks.

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life has been the largest fundraising event for the fight against cancer. It was estimated that in 2014, there will be 191,300 new cases of cancer reported in Canada. Two out of every 5 people in Canada will get some form of cancer in their lifetime. And thanks in part to 75 + years of research, service and support offered by the Canadian Cancer Society, 63% of these patients will survive longer than five years. We have played a role in making this possible. Our community has supported our relay through business and personal donations, team fundraisers, and committee fundraisers, which do come back to our community. The transportation service “Wheels of Hope” has allowed cancer patients access to transportation to and from their treatment centers throughout our area. From Northbrook to Maberly, from Plevna to Odessa and all the places in-between, our unit office and all other unit offices are committed to helping and supporting anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer. Every year, donor dollars help support the important work of researchers, some as close as Kingston, to finding new cures and treatment methods.

Cancer has touched all of our lives. Having been involved with this event now since 2008, I have seen and heard numerous stories of cancer journeys. Some of them have broken my heart. But some of them have motivated me to fight harder. Some stories have allowed me to see the progress that we are making through research and how the Canadian Cancer Society has supported people right here at home. The Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It is a community of people coming together to fight back against cancer. No matter your story, please consider joining our mission to eradicate cancer and support those living with cancer. Registration will be after the weekly Friday night dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion #425, Sharbot Lake on January 23. And don’t forget…..

“Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo  

By Lesley Merrigan

There has been a low rumble throughout North and Central Frontenac around the changes with Relay For Life, the largest fundraiser in our area for the Canadian Cancer Society. The first change is at the unit office, with a new manager, Doug Kane and fundraising coordinator, Barb Revelle. These two leaders have helped the current leadership team in the Frontenacs transition to the new policies and procedures that will increase the success of this fundraiser.

The greatest change is with the Survivors’ Reception. Survivors will be treated to a very posh Relay Reunion to be held sometime in April. It will be open to all unit survivors at a location to be announced soon. They will have their very own event at which they will be celebrated and given the opportunity to network with other survivors in the area. More details on this unique event will be available early in February. If you are a survivor or know someone that is, please call 613-384-2316 and get your name on the guest list.

The most exciting event change is the timing. The 2015 event will be held Sat. June 20 beginning at 12 noon instead of Friday night at 7pm. It will run until midnight. This change will enable more participation as everyone will be rested and able to be active during the 12 hour fundraiser. Registration for the event is open now and the cost to register is as follows: Until January 31- $10; Feb 1 until April 30 - $25; May 1 – June 20, $35. You can register online at www.relayforlife.ca as well as by contacting Christine Teal at 613-375-6525.

Please join us at our Relay Kick Off on Friday January 23 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Sharbot Lake in the lower area for information and registration. We will begin at 7pm and all are welcome.

The changes have not been easy but the reason behind them is to make registration universal across the Province of Ontario and to allow leaders to do more accurate forecasting for needs at their events. Teams are still made up of 7 to 10 folks with a minimum individual fundraising goal of $150 each.

The day’s event will still include numerous entertainers and great music as well as team events and challenges and some other ideas that the committee is throwing around. We are still working out the details but one thing will always remain the same: this is the largest fundraiser to make the largest difference in the fight against cancer, and there is no doubt about it….Relay For Life creates more and more cancer survivors each year! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Lesley Merrigan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 613-279-3144, or call the unit office at 613-384-2316.

If one had to pinpoint one singular theme at the 2014 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, which took place at the Parham fairgrounds on June 20, it would have to be hope. Relay chair Lesley Merrigan highlighted that idea after the Friday night opening ceremony, saying, “This community really needs to feel a sense of hope at this time; there have been so many close to home cancer diagnoses in this community recently that hope is really what we need now.”

It was with hope in mind that Merrigan invited cancer survivor Tammy Horvath to speak at the opening ceremony about her own personal battle with cancer. “I invited Tammy to speak because nobody gives hope like she does”, Merrigan said.

Tammy was diagnosed in 2004 at the age of 34 with a stage four uterine sarcoma and doctors gave her just two weeks to live. She was then a young wife and mother of two, and she told the doctors to do “whatever they could”. After undergoing an aggressive new treatment, she much more than beat the odds and now, 10 years later, she is happy to tell her emotional story to others, especially to those who have been recently diagnosed.

“Cancer is a roller coaster ride with many highs and lows and you really need a boat load of determination to get through it,” Horvath said in addressing this year’s Relay participants. She spoke of the term “survivorship” saying, “People become survivors the very day they are diagnosed.” She also spoke of how the funds raised from Relay are so important. “I would not be here if it were not for the research dollars made possible through the Relay for Life.”

Heather Gray, director of the Canadian Cancer Society in Eastern Ontario, also spoke at the opening ceremony, citing how the Relay for Life especially helps rural communities by securing funds for transportation services that enable those diagnosed to travel to larger centers for treatment. She spoke about the CCS's peer support program and their cancer information service, both of which can be accessed by rural residents by phone. She also spoke of the importance of cancer research. “If you happen to be standing beside someone who was diagnosed with cancer, the fact that they are still with us today is because of research. We have gone from a 25% survival rate in the 1940s to a 63% survival rate today and for children, the survival rate is even greater, where youngsters now have an 81% survival rate.” Gray said the goal of Relay is to continue to increase those percentages.

Cancer survivor Marcel Giroux also spoke, highlighting how the Parham relay event, which began in 2006, not only helps by providing funds for important research and services but how it also brings the community together. “This event represents how we started together in fear and eight years later we have ended in glory,” Giroux said.

After the speeches the survivors’ walk began, with close to 50 local cancer survivors lapping the track while troubadour Shawn McCullough’s original tune “Fight”, which was inspired by his father’s battle with cancer, was played. McCullough penned the song especially for the Relay and copies of it were available for sale with all proceeds going to the cause.

Following the lap the survivors gathered at the main stage where they released colored balloons into the air.

Each team was then introduced and invited to walk the track, beginning their 12-hour long journey, which represents the personal journey faced by every individual battling a cancer diagnosis.

Emcees Jim MacPherson and Lindsay Fox manned the mikes for the entire event, which included a wealth of musical entertainment and numerous games, contests and activities until the following morning when the sun came up. By the end of the event participants had raised over $45,000 (and still counting) for the cause, demonstrating that this small rural community is doing more than its fair share of bringing hope to those battling a cancer diagnosis.

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2047- Team Hannah at the 2014 Relay for Life event in Parham

2016-Cancer survivor Tammy Horvath inspired hope with her personal story at the 2014 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life event in Parham on June 20

In an effort to get young students involved with the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life, staff at Prince Charles Public School in Verona held their own special Relay for Life event at the school on June 20. The school’s Relay is now in its fourth year and included a presentation in the gym in which Cam Whalen, a fundraiser/relationship manager with the Canadian Cancer Society in Eastern Ontario, spoke about the importance of the CCS's annual Relay event and how the funds raised are used to help individuals battling the disease. School Principal Peter Dendy invited his mother Joyce Dendy, a cancer survivor, to participate in the PCPS relay. Joyce who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, underwent surgery and treatment, and is now cancer free. I spoke to her at the event and she stressed the importance of women getting regular mammograms. She said that she regularly takes part in the annual Kingston Breast Cancer Action Kingston Walk as well. She was pleased to be able to come to the school and said that the event is an important one for students. “As time goes on students will remember these kinds of events and will come to realize that they have done something to help”, she said.

After the formal gym presentation, Joyce proceeded to the school’s track and lapped it, after which she received multiple “high fives” from the students as she passed by. The students were then invited to Relay on the track along with her.

Prior to the relay students were given envelopes and asked to fundraise and it was announced at the presentation that they raised over $2,000 for the cause. Leading up to the event students were made aware of various cancer statistics and the importance of raising funds so that more research can be done and more services can be made available to those diagnosed the disease.

Lisa Cousins-Badour, who teaches at the school, said the Relay is an important way of making students aware of the disease, how best to prevent it and how to help support the efforts of the CCS. Congratulations to all of the students, who not only reached but surpassed their $2,000 goal. Students who raised the most funds will be winning a special prize; they will be dyeing PCPS teacher Ms. Edmonds’ hair as a reward for their efforts.

photo-2012

North and Central Frontenac's Relay for Life team, June's Angels, offered up a wide array of family fun under perfect sunny skies on June 7 at the Parham fairgrounds. Visitors enjoyed getting up close and personal with several reptiles courtesy of Recycled Reptiles; played numerous games with Dave White of Meego games; rode and petted farm animals from West Winds Ranch of Westport; and were entertained by juggler/balloon twister Caleb Gazley of Mr. Twister. Youngsters had their faces painted courtesy of Ena Drakich and members of June's Angels also offered up a canteen lunch.

The event is one of many fundraisers held by the long-time Relay for Life team, which will again be participating in this year's Relay at the Parham fairgrounds on Friday June 20.