On Friday April 23, at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, hundreds of volunteers, supporters, and cancer survivors came together at the football stadium to rally around a cause that means a lot to a lot of people in Catoosa and Walker counties.

With a special survivor’s dinner taking place in the late afternoon, the relayers in attendance welcomed the six o’clock hour to mark the first lap of the Battlefield Relay for Life. The initial lap, reserved for cancer survivors, was an emotional walk for some, and maybe even more so for those looking on wishing that their lost loved ones had the opportunity to take those very strides.

“It’s a wonderful event, and it means so much to the people like myself who have lost somebody special to them,” said Maggie Parker, a Tunnel Hill resident. “I lost my mother to cancer, and I just felt like I should come out here and walk a few laps for her.”

Various members of the community had been planning, organizing, and working towards the event for the last several months, and on a beautiful night, with hundreds in attendance, it all seemed worth it to those who volun-teered their time and dedicated themselves to such an important cause.

“Events like this one mean a lot to people,” said Sandy Matheson, ACS community manager. “It gives people a chance to help make a difference, and it brings the community closer together.”

With everything from flag football, food, games, prizes, and even the opportunity to lock your friends in the “Mayberry Jail,” the Walker and Catoosa faithful were able to hold off the rain long enough to complete a night of fun, remembrance, and hope.