Seasons of Hope: 2011 QV Relay For Life Kicks Off Today

S. Lynn Kohlmeyer volunteered numerous hours in Leetsdale, from organizing the annual Fourth of July celebration to helping bring activities for children to Henle Park and a much-needed overpass to the borough.

So to many in her community, it made sense that this year’s Quaker Valley  For Life be dedicated to the former councilwoman’s .

“This is the first year our relay has ever been dedicated to somebody,” said Joshua Walker, co-chairman. “That’s a first and hopefully a last.”

Kohlmeyer died July 7, 2010 after a battle with breast cancer. She was 46.

Family and friends assumed Kohlmeyer would conquer cancer with her typical spunk and energy. Relay organizers said Kohlmeyer was instrumental in helping with last year’s event.

“We were expecting she would be celebrating with us, not in memory,” said Priscilla Castner, event co-chairwoman.

Kohlmeyer’s family is participating in the relay this year, marching under the team name “Leetsdale Lifesavers.”

Rain or shine, opening ceremonies begin at noon today on the field at Quaker Valley High School. The ceremony includes a 75-dove release sponsored by the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, although the doves won't be released if it's raining, Walker said. The National Weather Service is calling for showers and thunderstorms, mostly after 4 p.m. 

Lots of entertainment is planned for the 20-hour event, including live music and food, and Relay Idol, a local version of karaoke, is part of the fun. Castner said it’s important for people to understand the relay isn’t a race -- it’s a celebration.

“It feels a lot more like a carnival than a walk around the track,” Castner said.

A survivor lap is planned for at 5 p.m. and a luminary ceremony at 9 p.m., followed by fireworks at 10 p.m.

“The survivor lap is very moving, the luminary as well,” Castner said.

Pupils from Osborne and Edgeworth elementaries decorated more than 900 luminaries – the most the relay has ever had. The luminaries will be set up on the bleachers and will light the field with the words Hope and Cure.

The public is invited to join the cause, if only to take only one lap around the track. The event runs non-stop until 8 a.m. Sunday.

"We can go 24 hours because people with cancer deal with it 24/7,  three-hundred and sixty-five," said Walker, who has participated for seven years.

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For more information or to make a donation, visit www.qvrelay.org. Donations are being accepted through Aug. 1.

For the entire Relay schedule of events, click here.