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Fighting together: Jefferson County/Shepherd University Relay for Life reports growth, after previous year’s merge

By Tabitha Johnston - Chronicle Staff | Apr 19, 2024

Eight-year-old Zavier Hooker gets his face painted to look like Spider Man at the Delta Zeta Wave Goodbye to Cancer team booth in Parking Lot G on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Soothing harmonies filled the air of the Butcher Center gymnasium, as the Shepherd University Chamber Singers performed at the combined Jefferson County and Shepherd University Relay for Life Luminaria Ceremony on Friday night.

Luminaria bags and lights were placed in the shape of the word “hope” on the gymnasium bleachers, with each bag representing a cancer survivor being honored or remembered by one of the ceremony attendees. One of those in attendance at the ceremony was Shepherd University graduate student Aly Nazarok.

“My mom has metastatic breast cancer,” Nazarok said, mentioning her mother has been fighting the disease since 2017. “If my mom has taught me anything, it is that you can be optimistic no matter what, and you can find a positive in every negative situation. Sometimes, it’s frustrating to a fault that she does it! But I’m trying to use this hard, negative thing in my life to fuel me to do Relay.”

Nazarok was once again at the helm of Relay for Life this year, after first stepping into the role of event leader last year, when Jefferson County’s and Shepherd University’s separate Relay for Life programs were merged. Over $50,000 were raised at this year’s event, which featured a total of 44 Relay for Life teams raising money for the American Cancer Society’s research, through fun activities like face painting, a dunk tank, competitive corn hole with the Shepherd University football team and walking the relay route around Parking Lot G. Other activities to round out the evening’s events included karaoke, a dance party and food trucks.

“We had more people this year, in spite of the worse weather, so I would say that it is slowly but surely building back to what it was once-upon-a-time,” Nazarok said, noting the number of participants had been lower than anticipated at last year’s event. “There is more teams. There are so many volunteers! I definitely think that, because we held it last year and people enjoyed it, that people decided to come again. And we had more engagement with a lot of our survivors this year! We had our survivors lunch earlier this month, which was the most heavily attended it has ever been. And we have had 20 survivors here today!”

Relay for Life teams march together to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s research in Parking Lot G on Friday night. Tabitha Johnston

One of those survivors was Honorary Survivor for the 2024 Jefferson County/Shepherd University Relay for Life Rick Kozlowski, who has survived both colon and prostate cancer. Recognized alongside him at the evening’s opening ceremony was Honorary Caregiver for the 2024 Jefferson County/Shepherd University Relay for Life Teresa Tumblin, who received the honor in recognition of the six friends and family members she has helped fight their battles with cancer. Tumblin, who has had a Relay for Life team since 2008, reflected on how the merging of the county’s two Relay for Life programs has had both positive and negative aspects.

“It’s this generation that is going to be carrying it on! I want to be part of the community bringing this generation in, to keep it going,” Tumblin said, noting that those living on the other side of Jefferson County might find participation in the event at Shepherd a little more challenging than it would have been before, when it was held in Shenandoah Junction. “A lot of the cancer survivors are elderly, and they can’t travel as far and do as much. This is a lot of fun events that our elderly can’t do. But this is the next generation, so we need to find a happy medium to bring us all together.”

Several teams from that next generation could be seen working hard alongside the more seasoned teams on Friday night and into early Saturday morning, as they raised funds for the American Cancer Society. One of those teams, the Delta Zeta Wave Goodbye to Cancer team, had a member whose mom was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

“We just found out she had it, so we hope she will be able to fight it!” said junior elementary education major Cheyenne Hooker, as she watched as her eight-year-old and five-year-old nephews get their faces painted as Spider Man and Hulk Smash, respectively. “Their grandma has cancer, so they said they wanted to do this for grandma. I hope they’ll realize [from this] that they can have a part in fighting cancer, too.”

A Shepherd University student prepares to throw a ball at the Alpha Sigma Tau/Tau Kappa Epsilon dunk tank in Parking Lot G on Friday night. Tabitha Johnston

Honorary Caregiver for the 2024 Jefferson County/Shepherd University Relay for Life Teresa Tumblin, right stands beside Board of Hope Relay for Life husband-and-wife team members Linda Myers-Hart and Dan Hart, who both lost their first spouses to cancer, at Shepherd University on Friday night. Tabitha Johnston

Community members play bingo at the Jefferson County/Shepherd University Relay for Life at Shepherd on Friday night. Tabitha Johnston