$1,147,708!! WOW!!!
Having fun... What do you get when you combine 104 Relay teams, campgrounds at Central Park, non-stop music and games, and an entire weekend of sunshine? Only the greatest community fundraising event the Lower Mainland has ever seen, of course: the 30th Annual Money Mart Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay for the Kids. This year's event proved once again that Relay-ers know how to work hard and play hard, having raised an incredible $1.14 million! THANK YOU!
The ultimate overnight party kicked off at 10:00 am on Saturday June 20 and the good times rolled on from there. From crafting up a storm at Kids Zone to jamming to the rockin' sounds on the Main Stage to trying out some wheelchair basketball to catching a late night flick on the inflatable movie screen, this year's Relay had something for everyone. If you had energy to burn, there was volleyball and bocce. If you were a little burnt out, there was the Rejuvenation Zone with New Balance and the Massage Tent. It's amazing you even had the time to run your laps! If we could say congratulations for 24 hours, we would, because that's what all of this year's Relay teams deserve. A big thank you goes out to Team Captains and Co-Captains for fearlessly leading teams through another fantastic year - without your drive, your effort and your dedication, the Relay would not be the huge success that it is! Looking back 30 years by Terry Burns, Founding General Manager
In the summer of 1978 members of The Seawall Running Society, a group formed to promote recreational running, were trying to drum up an event that would fit into our calendar with a spring event. Member Bill McIntosh, an avid long distance runner with the Nomads Club based in West Vancouver, brought an article to a meeting covering a competitive 24 hour, 10 member Relay event somewhere in the US. Our core committee consisting of myself, Don Basham, then an instructor at Cap College, and a few others thought the idea intriguing, especially if it was coupled with a per lap fundraising component to add some competitiveness and a focus. So the genesis of all Relays was triggered. Next on the list was to find the right site and Swangard couldn't have been (and still is!) the best location ever! Then some sponsors - Labatt, through me, and Nike through Bill who happened to be their promotions manager and the Lions Society was chosen as the charity. We chose the weekend closest to the longest day and it happened to be father's day and has remained so for the 30 years and presto! the Relay was born. Never in our wildest imagination did we think it would last thirty years, spawn 10 across Canada for Easter Seals, create so many imitators, raise over $ 29 million, send thousands of kids to camps and become an icon in the Lower Mainland spring fundraising/running events. What a ride!
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