Douglas County organizers are celebrating 40 years of Relay for Life’s impact on cancer research and inviting community members to join them in a party reminiscent of 1985.
Put on your best neon fit, tease up your hair and prepare to moonwalk to Rock Chalk Park for the 2025 Douglas County Relay for Life from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 6.
One of four Relay co-chairs and a breast cancer survivor, Autumn Bishop said she looked forward to an evening of community and support centered on raising funds to find a cure for cancer and uniting to fight a disease that touches everyone in some way.
“I think it’s important to attend because, I mean, it’s a show of support for people that are actively fighting cancer, like all forms of cancer, people who have survived cancer,” Bishop said. “It’s not a club that you ever want to be a part of, but it can be a pretty tight knit club for support.”
As of Thursday morning, Douglas County volunteers have raised more than $126,000 in this year’s fundraising drive. Their goal is $150,000.
The Trump administration’s recent cuts to U.S. health agencies and federal funding have created concerns among cancer researchers, patients and organizations that support cancer research.
American Cancer Society sponsors the Relay for Life. In addition to funding cancer research, ACS provides free programs and services to people facing cancer.
Carolyn Zeller, senior development manager for the nonprofit organization’s North Region, said in an email the organization was monitoring ongoing budget discussions in Washington “to anticipate and identify impact on cancer patients and their families” while executing its mission to improve lives with the help of supporters and donors.
“We are so grateful to our Relayers for their support and generosity each and every year,” Zeller said.
Allie Montgomery and her husband, Mitch, are returning Relay co-chairs.
Montgomery, 33, has battled cancer for nine years and encouraged community members to form their own teams. The couple, along with family and friends, are part of Team Forty-One Ten.
“Isaiah 41:10 has been a Bible verse that gets me through a lot of things,” Montgomery said. “There’s something about the spirit of a team. It’s not just an individual, but like when we band together as a team, there’s something about that that lifts you up, I think, and it gives you a motivation to continue to go farther in fundraising and just participating in the event as a whole.”
Relay for Life has traditionally featured moments of solemnity, especially after dark when luminarias light the way around the track during laps that honor survivors, caregivers and those lost to the disease.
5,119 Kansans died of cancer in 2023, according to Kansas Department of Health statistics. In 2022, cancer was responsible for 608,366 deaths, or 142 deaths per 100,000 people in the U.S., according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Relay for Life also is a celebration of life. Registered survivors and their caregivers can each receive a free T-shirt and dinner at the event.
Admission is free and includes games and activities for all ages, including a kids zone. Vendors will also sell food, drinks and other items. A silent auction will also be available.
In line with the ‘80s theme, a Jazzercise dance session will take place as well.
“We’re having an air guitar contest,” Bishop said. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
Register as a survivor or caregiver, donate, form a fundraising team, or sponsor a luminaria in honor or in memory of a loved one at relay.org/douglasks. Survivors who wish to register by phone can call the ACS helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Organizers encourage registration by Friday, May 9 to ensure correct T-shirt sizing.
For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page at this link.
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Tricia Masenthin (she/her) reported for The Lawrence Times from March 2021 through May 2025. Read more of her work for the Times here.
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