The 31st annual Relay For Life of the Sauk Valley took place Saturday night at Westwood Building 3 in Sterling, with 17 teams walking to further research for cancer and to celebrate survivors who had achieved another birthday.

The Relay For Life is the signature walk of the American Cancer Society. Relay events have four components:

• An opening ceremony in which cancer survivors and their caregivers walk the first lap to officially open the event. This year, the longest survivor was Angel Eigsti, who attained the 60th year of survivorship
• Activities and laps around a theme for the event, which this year was ”Fight Like A Champion!”
• A luminaria ceremony to honor those who have battled the disease
• A closing ceremony to share the results of fundraising to support the American Cancer Society in its mission to save lives

The event Saturday has so far raised $66,095 toward the $85,000 goal. The fiscal year officially ends Sept. 1, so there is still time to reach the goal.

The Event Leadership Team was led by Betty Clementz as chair, as well as Education and Publicity; Sponsorship was led by Cheryl Faber and Pam Shoffner; Accounting by Pam Martinez and Sarah Leal; On Site by Mary Chriest, Beth Wilson and Emma Wilson; Emma Wilson, who led Social Media and Technology; Beth Wilson, who also led Luminaria; and Mike Donnelly, who led Logistics.

A wrapup meeting is set for 5 p.m. July 1 at Sauk Valley Foodbank to critique the 2026 event and start the planning for next year’s event. Team captains and participants are welcome to attend.