Despite rain, more than $90,000 raised during relay

Despite rainy, cold conditions that shaved around five hours off of this year’s event, St. Charles Parish Relay for Life was able to raise $90,698, according to event chair Audrey Raziano.

“We have learned that no matter what the weather, the community of St. Charles Parish will come out and support relay,” she said.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life is a family-oriented team event where participants walk relay-style around the track and take part in fun activities off the track. Teams include coworkers, club members, family members and friends who have gathered donations prior to the event.

The event also had a Luminaria Ceremony, which honored the community’s cancer survivors and served as a remembrance to those lost to the disease. During the ceremony, survivors circled the track rimmed with glowing luminaria while the names of survivors and those lost to the disease were read aloud.

Despite the wind and rain, the Luminaria Ceremony went on as planned, giving Raziano “goosebumps” by the way the community worked together to make it happen.

“With high winds I was told we would not be able to light the candles in the luminaria bags and so we attempted to have everyone hold a candle to light which did not work,” Raziano said. “Someone suggested we make a human wall around the luminaria to block the wind and perhaps everyone turn on their cell phone for light.”

After beginning the ceremony, Raziano said she looked up to see all the luminaria lit.

“With love, determination, and teamwork this wonderful group of people got it done,” she said. “It gave me goosebumps.”

Event Winners include:

Cupcake Wars

lst – Team BFF

2nd – Courthouse Divas

3rd – Toasting For A Cure

Chili Cookoff

1st – Valero

2nd – Zachry

3rd – Toasting for a Cure

Soup Cookoff

1st – Bunny’s Crew

2nd – Throw Me A Cure

Best Campsite

1st – Team BFF

2nd – Throw Me A Cure

3rd – Courthouse Divas

Relay Idol

1st – Angelle Branham

2nd – Anthony Lucia

3rd – Anedra Coleman

Line Dance Contest

1st – John Breaux

2nd – Anedra Coleman

3rd – Alicia Coleman

MISSter Relay

lst – Darryl Davis

2nd – Russell Burgbacher

Luling VFD Ugliest Bridesmaid’s Dress

1st – Jami White

Most Laps by an Individual

Cody Borne and Marten Zeringue Jr. with 133 laps each