Relay for Life relocates to Flinton

Nov 26, 2009

For the past three consecutive summers the Parham Fairgrounds has been the location of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington’s Relay for Life which, up until now, has been headed by Claire Macfarlane, Chair of Relay for Life for Central Frontenac.

In its short three-year history, the Central Frontenac Relay, a 12-hour event that runs through the night, where teams obtain pledges, camp out all night and walk throughout the night, has raised close to $70,000 each year.

Last year there had been talk about finding a new location for this year’s relay in order to give area residents and supporters a break, and to give another community an opportunity to host the event.

The Flinton Recreation Centre was suggested last year as a possible new venue for the event since it offers ample indoor and outdoor space along with kitchen, canteen and washroom facilities, plus ample parking.

It also helps that the Rec Club's board of directors have experience putting on large-scale events such as the Flinton Jamboree, now going into its sixth year, which has seen attendance grow to over 1000 people last year alone.

So when Helen Yanch and Mayor Janet Gutowski were speaking about Flinton as a possible location for the 2010 Relay, Yanch mentioned her sister-in-law, Carolyn Hasler, as a possible new chair.

Carolyn recalls, “I got a call from Helen and then I spoke first to Janet Gutowski and then to Claire Macfarlane and I remember that I told Claire that I would have to think about it. I knew it was a big job to take on and I really had no idea what was involved.”

Carolyn currently holds positions as president of the Flinton Community Club, secretary of the Flinton Recreation Club, treasurer at St. Paul’s Anglican Church and she sits on the library board as well, so it was no wonder she needed a bit of thinking time to consider taking on the role as Relay chair.

When she announced the possibility of taking on the position to members of the Recreation Club at their monthly meeting back in October, the 15-member committee agreed to support her and each volunteered either to head up a team or one of the committees. Carolyn also had the support of various members of the community and it was with that knowledge that she enthusiastically agreed to take on the role.

Judging by the turnout at the recent November 18 information session for the 2010 Flinton relay, Carolyn has every reason to be enthusiastic and her connectedness in the community has served her well.

Present at the meeting along with outgoing chair Claire Macfarlane was Cheryl Bird, manager for the FLA unit of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), who along with Claire, explained the role of the CCS and that of the annual relay, the single largest fundraising event (and by far the most emotional) that the CSS holds through out the year.

After playing a documentary DVD, Claire openly admitted, “Every single time I watch that DVD I still get emotional.” She was also quick to point out that volunteers are the backbone of the CCS and “drive the emotional support, fundraising, services and leadership. In FL&A there are only three full-time staff members and a total of 852 volunteers.”

Prior to the November 18 meeting in Flinton, and to better prepare Carolyn for her new role as relay chair, Claire accompanied Carolyn to the recent 2009 Relay for Life Summit held in Toronto on November 13, 14 & 15, along with 300 other relay chairs and co-chairs from across the province.

The Flinton community’s earlier promise of support was made good and by the end of the Flinton meeting on Wednesday night many of the committee head positions had been filled: Sherry Tebo in the role as Survivor chair, and Sue Tobia as Luminary chair. Carolyn informed me also that Scott Pettigrew of the Tweed Twangers had agreed earlier to take on the role as Entertainment chair.

Carolyn has every reason to believe that this year’s relay will be a great one. She said, “We (in the Rec Club) have been organizing the Flinton Jamboree for five years and so have loads of experience. And the facilities that we have here are wonderful and offer everything that we need.”

Outgoing chair Macfarlane made it clear that she will be available for support and advice. She also confided that while the first year as chair can be the most challenging, it is also the most exciting. "You just get so revved up. It's phenomenal and the feeling that you have when you stand on that stage and see all of the people who have helped can be very emotional."

Carolyn explained, “The real challenge for me will be coordinating everyone and everything to make it a successful event. I have the bonus of working with a lot of people who I have worked closely with before and who thankfully are very willing to help out. I wouldn‘t have been able to take this on without their support.”

Carolyn's impetus in becoming chair comes from a need to help fundraise for all types of cancer and, as she explained it, "as way of fighting back and raising funds that will go directly back into the community."

The Flinton Relay for LIfe is scheduled to take place on June 11/12 at the Flinton Recreation Centre. Anyone who missed the first meeting and who would like to volunteer to help or participate in the 2010 Relay for Life can contact Carolyn Hasler at 613-336-8659 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.