After raising $560,000 this year, Prince George's Relay for Life has been ranked number one in Canada.
The Prince George event is still the only 24-hour relay in Canada and saw 184 volunteers, 145 teams and 1,450 participants attend.
The final tally will reach $600,000 since a local donor recently pledged $40,000.
"While there were a lot of contributing factors to our success, I can confidently say we wouldn't have achieved the top spot without the tremendous support from our community," said Margaret Jones-Bricker, northern regional director, Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon.
For the second year Brent Marshall supported the event in a significant way. Marshall donated a 2014 Jeep Cherokee as a fundraising incentive for participants. For every $500 raised, the participant was entered into a draw for the car. Marshall also made a personal commitment to ensure the relay reached the $600,000 mark this year.
"Because of the fundraising incentives introduced by Brent, we were able to increase our number of participants who raised $500 and more by 25 per cent in the last two years, which definitely helped," said Jones-Bricker.
As promised when $600,000 was raised in Prince George, the Society's Community Giving team lead, Helen Owen, will shave her head at an upcoming event, which will also act as a kick off for the 2015 Relay For Life in Prince George.
"We are going to get an early start on 2015 to see if we can beat our fundraising total and keep that title in Prince George for a second year," said Jones-Bricker. "It is ambitious however we all believe it's achievable and if anyone can do it, Prince George can."
Each year, the Relay For Life brings more than 160,000 people together across Canada to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember lost loved ones and empower individuals and communities to fight back against cancer. In 2014 in BC and Yukon alone, Relay For Life raised more than $3.5 million. Saguenay, Quebec came in second place after raising $545,000. For more information, visit cancer.ca.
