The Frey Tribe: Relay For Life

Several months ago Berks Homes allowed it's employees to start a volunteer non-profit org. called 'building community connections'. We had the chance to enter two Berks Homes sponsored teams in the Relay for Life held at Twin Valley this past weekend. It was very awesome - I had never done anything like that before, so I was pretty excited. Julie did this with me too, and I was looking forward to the fun we were going to have together. Jamie and Mady were there too but that only lasted until about 11pm though, I think. Mady got tired and needed some McNuggets.

I expected to just have a good time and hang out with friends, and then go home. In the end it was quite the eye opener for me. When you see enough candle lit bags (that represent people that died from cancer) to line the out side of a running track - and be only a foot apart from each other all the way around...it puts things into perspective. Then when you see how many people are walking around wearing purple Relay for Life shirts that say 'Survivor' on the back and they can be anywhere from 5 years old to 95 years old - you realize that what your doing there actually has a purpose.

It lasted from Friday at noon, until Saturday at noon. Berks had a tent there that was for kids to come and make crafts and play guitar hero, and paint. They paid 5.00 and all the money went to Relay for Life - we raised quite a bit of money, so that was awesome. I hadn't pulled an 'all nighter' in several years - I think I actually felt my age at around 2 AM, I got blisters on my feet, was freezing cold while sleeping in my tent - without a sleeping bag - and then those awesome meatball sandwiches that John D. and I scarfed down...well they weren't so awesome at around 3:30 in the morning...whooooo....

This picture is not from our event - however - it looked just like it - all candles in bags with names of people who died from cancer.