One step at a time: Kankakee County Relay for Life marks 30 years of cancer advocacy

One step at a time.

This mantra has helped the Relay for Life of Kankakee County walk alongside those affected by cancer for 30 years.

The annual relay that celebrates cancer survivors, remembers loved ones lost to cancer and raises funds to improve the lives of those affected by cancer, returned Saturday, held at the new community campus in Bourbonnais, The Grove.

Each year after the opening ceremony, the tradition of the Survivors Lap commences as local cancer survivors are recognized and applauded as they kick off the event.

The Caregivers Lap follows, and teams take the third lap around the path as they walk to raise money for the cause.

“Every step we take today is part of our larger journey,” said Michelle Sadler, Kankakee’s relay event chair. “We walk for those who can’t, we fight for those still going through it, and we hope for a future where no one hears the words, ‘you have cancer.’ ”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Kankakee event has raised $134,989, over halfway to this year’s revenue goal of $200,000. Donations are still open at relayforlife.org/kankakeeil and continue to be tallied.

The local event is presented by Riverside Cancer Institute and is nationally run by the American Cancer Society, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

“Relay For Life is the world’s largest volunteer-based fundraising event,” ACS said in a statement. “For 40 years, communities across the world have come together to honor and remember loved ones and take action for lifesaving change.”

Relay For Life has raised more than $6.8 billion to support these efforts since 1985, and the Relay For Life in Kankakee County hopes to add to that figure by working toward the American Cancer Society’s mission to end cancer through advocacy, research and patient support, and to help ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer.

In 2025, there will be more than 2 million new cancers diagnosed in the United States and 618,120 cancer deaths, according to the ACS.

Caregiver speaker Areca Van Mill, of Bourbonnais, said each story and each diagnosis is a powerful reminder of why the relay is important.

Van Mill began her relay team, Team Pearce, in 2003 after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. The nurses suggested attending Relay for Life as a place to find hope and support, she said.

The family found the experience was very rewarding, Van Mill said, so they continued to find ways to fundraise for the cause.

“Every dollar raised and every story shared is a step closer to a world without cancer,” Van Mill said. “The role our community plays in the success of Relay for Life cannot be overstated.

”Thank you for your commitment, your passion and your unwavering support, which has led us to this remarkable 30-year milestone.”

Van Mill also called attention to the efforts of Michelle Pruitt, of Tinley Park, the senior development manager at American Cancer Society and the Kankakee relay’s ACS staff partner.

Pruitt was recently recognized by the Illinois Board of Trustees for the American Cancer Society for 18 years of service.

“Michelle has continuously inspired me with her visionary leadership and we just want to thank you, Michelle, for being a light in our community,” Van Mill said.

This year’s event also served as an enrollment site for the American Cancer Society’s VOICES of Black Women study.

This historic study, launched in May 2024, focuses on uncovering the unique lived experiences that may affect Black women’s risk of cancer. For more information, visit voices.cancer.org.

To see the local fundraiser’s progress and donate, visit relayforlife.org/kankakeeil.