KINGFIELD – Last weekend’s annual Relay For Life Walk-a-thon at the Farmington Fairgrounds saw 18 teams from around the state participate.
One team stood out: Kingfield’s Friends & Family Ties Relay For Life team. The team is 13 members strong, has a corporate sponsor and took home the trophy for most fundraising for the sixth year out of 10.
“The whole team just works so well,” member Diane Christen said. “Everyone has their specialty, be it posters, scheduling meetings, organizing the huge lawn sale we do every year and just staying in touch with one another. We’re really just such a great team of people on so many levels.”
Their real expertise is in fundraising. All proceeds from the Maine Relay for Life go to the American Cancer Society, and a chunk of that stays here in Maine. Members have said that at some level, at some point in time, cancer touches the lives of nearly everyone. That makes the Friends’ dedication to the cause more than worthy.
Most get involved from personal experience, explains team member Evelyn Stevens, whether it’s their own personal experience or that of a loved one.
“We are all here for one purpose: to help find a cure,” Stevens said. “That is our purpose and why we work so hard to make money.”
The Friends & Family Ties team works all year long, holding a fundraiser nearly every month. They vary from a Chinese auction or a 50/50 raffle to lawn sales and a diner night featuring car-side window service for drive-in burgers. This year the effort added up to $9,832. There has only been one other year that the local team topped that amount.
“We have such incredible community and family member support,” Christen said. “They really are the ones that make it all happen. They are just wonderful. We love them all.”
Friends & Family Ties members are: Judy Boyce, Diane Christen, Dise Dunham, Jane Deely, Celia Flint, Sou Hayes, Jenny Miller, Doris Philbrick, Janet Poulin, Pat Pray, Evelyn Stevens, Lorraine Savage and Janice Whitney.
Unofficial members include close family members, spouses and children, as well as community members at large.
The team has been a member of the statewide Walk For Life for 10 years.
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