It's official! $34,132 comes in for Care for Kids Fighting Cancer 24-Hour Relay

The 24-Hour Relay for Central Plains Cancer Services was more successful than anticipated.

It was recently announced the all-day, all-night event raised $34,132. Beckie Verwey is a community member who, along with her family, initiated the event from her home last year. This year, they went even bigger, and they were blown away from the response.

"It was incredible. Right from the beginning, we had a lot of excitement, a lot of businesses, a lot of team members just signing up for it," says Verwey. "During the moment, it was full of energy, full of excitement, and we far exceeded our expectations on donations."

Verwey wasn't born in Portage la Prairie, but after living here for quite some time, she has learned how generous this city and the surrounding areas can be. She says you can put Portagers to the test but they always come through. Verwey hopes the 24-Hour Relay will be an annual event.

Executive Director for Central Plains Cancer Services Sharilyn Knox says they're already planning for the future.

"Once again, our community just stepped up and got involved and we had a great, great time," says Knox. "It's something that will definitely continue."

This money will go toward the Care of Kids Fighting Cancer program. Knox says on Sunday, a new child in our community was diagnosed with cancer and it hit everyone hard. She adds it's imperative they have funds to help families like this fight, and to take the pressure off of them. Knox is grateful for everyone who helped out this time and hopes they'll see them next year.