WEST PARIS — A Relay for Life “tollbooth” will be set up in West Paris in front of Agnes Gray School to raise money to for cancer research.

Last Thursday night, Linda Cary requested that the baord allow around 10 participants, herself included, to stand along the stretch of road in front of the Agnes Gray Elementary School, holding buckets for anyone driving by wishing to donate to Relay for Life.

Relay for Life is an organization based off of the American Cancer Society. The Relay for Life organization that Carey is part of is based out of the Oxford Hills area.

She requested that the event take place Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We’ll have signs on each side of us…and stand there with a bucket on each side,” said Cary. “They’ll stop if they want, if not they’ll just go by.”

Selectman Wade Rainey informed Cary that there is to be no harassing of cars driving by that don’t choose to donate.

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“I don’t like that,” said Rainey about his past experiences with road tollbooths. “That has happened to me more than once.”

Cary ensured the board that no harassing of drivers would happen. She said that during last year’s tollbooth, cards were placed in car windows as a “thank you’ to anyone that donates and to show that they had already donated if the cars drive by the tollbooth more than once.

“We don’t ask anybody [for money], we just stand there with a bucket,” said Cary. She said that “quite a bit of money’ was raised at last year’s tollbooth and was very successful.

Rainey suggested that signs be placed ahead of the tollbooth on both sides of the road so that drivers know that people will be near the road.

Cary said that another even that Relay for Life holds, is a twelve-hour walk around Gouin Field in South Paris.

“Cancer doesn’t sleep, so we start at 7 p.m. on one night, and we stay up all night at the Gouin Field and walk the track until 7 a.m. the next morning to get out awareness and raise money to fight cancer,” she said. She said that the money raised goes toward helping cancer patients get to treatments, lodging during the treatments, and cancer research to name a few.

The selectboard approved the tollbooth to be set up in front of the Agnes Gray Elementary School at 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12.


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