By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
CASSOPOLIS – Cass County Relay for Life made $80,153 for the American Cancer Society May 18-19 at the fairgrounds, Chair Cathy Merrill of Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union announced Saturday.
"Wonderful," she said. "We still have funds coming in that have not been totally accounted for. You should all pat yourselves on the back for all of the hard work that you do."
Leading the teams in fundraising was Midwest Energy Messengers, with $7,399.89, plus sponsorship money.
Second was Southwestern Michigan College. SMC's staff raised $5,126.03.
Coming in third was Dowagiac Union Schools, totaling $4,476.72.
"I'm only highlighting the top three," Merrill said, "but that does not mean that every other bit of work that every other team has done for this event is any less important. Every bit counts," including the $141 from shaving heads.
"With this beautiful weather we had," Merrill said, "we all will remember this weekend for a long time. Hopefully, if we have a bad weekend again, we'll remember this one."
At the closing ceremonies Saturday afternoon, Penn Friends Community Church Pastor Bill Bruneau said, "I'm not qualified to speak because I don't know what it's like physically, emotionally or spiritually. "I can't say I understand what it's like to live with cancer. To be very candid, I'm glad I can't say that. I'd be lying if I said, 'Oh, yeah, I want to experience what a lot of you have experienced.'
"But at the same time," continued Bruneau, who circled the track along the midway behind the grandstand with the Penn Township Pavement Pounders, "I know I'm not immune from it."
"The reason we're here, I think," he said, "is that a lot of us, like me, know someone who's passed away or is living with cancer."
In his home, when they moved to Cassopolis nine years ago, it was his mother-in-law, who moved in with them before passing away, partially as a result of cancer.
"I do know what it's like to be a caregiver," Bruneau said.
"My mother and my stepfather both experienced the same thing. My wife and a I traveled back to Connecticut during my mother's last month of life on this earth and cared for her. I honestly applaud those of you who are caregivers because it isn't easy. Some of the most heroic people I've had the privilege of meeting over the last 27, almost 28 years of ministry, are those people who are living with and those people who survived cancer. You're heroes. Every single one of you."
The choir from his Penn Friends Community Church sang "Friend of God" and "My Savior, My God," their voices fortified by guitar, bass, trombone and flute.
Bruneau said God loves and cares about people with cancer.
"He hasn't abandoned you," the pastor said.
"The proof of that is that everyone is here today to tell you that we care about you. That's God's voice speaking. And God would say, 'Don't give up. Keep fighting.' God would say, 'Next year, bring friends out here so that there are 10 times more people walking the track and there are 10 times the donations.' The only way people are going to come is if we bring them."
"Go home, take a nap, get some rest and get ready to go for next year," Merrill urged everyone.