Hawaii Pacific is a critical region for Relay For Life in the High Plains Division. Having some of our most mature events and raising more than $1.60 per capita, the Hawaii volunteers and staff have a purple passion that is second to none. My HiPac Relay tour began in Maui on July 14 with the Relay For Life of Central Maui Opening Ceremony.  I was joined by Reuel Johnson, National VP for Relay and Mike Dany, CEO for the High Plains Division. I was not only impressed with the 56 teams, 65 survivors and the $145,000 raised, but also by the simple, but critical messaging of colon cancer screening. It was obvious that the Relay For Life of Central Maui exemplified the importance of integrating the mission of the Society throughout their event. We then caught the last flight to Honolulu on the island of Oahu to join the Relay For Life of Magic Island during their midnight ceremonies. Magic Island is one of the largest Relays in Hawaii with 88 teams and honoring more than 150 survivors. Magic Island puts a special emphasis in recruiting corporate teams. It was especially rewarding to visit each campsite and hear the incredible stories about why they Relay. This Credit Union team joined forces this year with all their branches to raise more than $50,000. The Hawaii Pacific Corporate staff, and members of the Board of Directors are heavily involved with the Relay For Life of Magic Island showing their collective support by remaining throughout the night. Our Relay evening ended on the eastern side of Oahu at the closing ceremonies of the Relay For Life of Kailua. The closing ceremony, with the sun rising over the Pacific Ocean (there’s no other place in the US where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific) provided one of the most special, spiritual experiences that I have ever had. The Kailua community is so supportive of Relay, and has been for many years. I was extremely impressed with the challenge given to each of the Relayers to continue the fight for the rest of the year. The message on our advocacy efforts was right on target with Relay launching a year-round campaign to fight this dreaded disease. My HiPac Relay tour concluded on July 21 when I had the privilage of attending the Relay For Life of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Hilo event is the largest fundraising event for the American Cancer Society in the state of Hawaii and has been a Top Ten Per Capita Relay nationally.

This year’s impressive stats include $160,000 raised through 115 teams and more than 200 survivors participating. I’m confident that Hilo will again receive national recognition for their outstanding efforts.

My '07 Relay season got off to an incredible start this year in St. Louis at the Relay For Life of Washington University on March 3. Their fifth-year event raised a record $300K and put them over the $1M mark since their inception. With more than 2,000 participants and 185 teams, the Wash U Relay continues to set the bar for College/University events across the country. Oh, yeh.....all this success occurred on a night when the temperature was 29 degrees, with a 20mph wind and blowing snow just prior to the opening ceremonies. Joining me in this picture are Craig Boring, Region Vice President for Eastern Missouri and Stephanie Kash, Community Manager for Development and lead staff for the event.