Relay for Life brings Barnwell, Allendale counties together in cancer fight

Residents from Barnwell and Allendale counties gathered Friday, May 15, at the Allendale-Fairfax High School football field for an annual Relay for Life that was as much about support as it was about fundraising. Survivors, caregivers, families and longtime volunteers used the night to honor people lost to cancer, celebrate those still fighting and keep the disease in public view in two rural counties where almost everyone knows someone affected.

The event centered on the familiar Relay for Life traditions that make the cause feel personal: a survivor celebration, caregiver recognition, luminaria lighting, food, music and line dancing. At Allendale-Fairfax High School, the football field became a community gathering place, drawing people across county lines and reinforcing how often Barnwell and Allendale residents show up for one another when cancer touches a family.

That local solidarity has been building for years. The Allendale-Barnwell Relay for Life returned in 2023 after being on hiatus since 2019 because of the pandemic, and more than 25 teams took part that year while nearly $35,000 was raised in the first five months of fundraising. In 2024, the relay had more than 20 teams, opened with a survivors’ walk at 6 p.m. and ran until 11 p.m. Organizers set a $35,000 goal, and by event time $20,416.09 had already been raised. The previous year’s final tally was $50,439.

The relay’s local reach has also been visible on stage. In 2024, Barnwell Mayor Ron Still, who is a cancer survivor, spoke about cancer affecting his family over several decades. Fairfax Mayor Butch Sauls and Allendale Mayor Pro-Tem Dawan Smith also brought greetings. Allendale-Fairfax High School JROTC presented the colors, and Minister Dawan Pookie Smith provided music. Those pieces turned the night into a civic event as much as a fundraiser.

This year’s relay was preceded by an annual Survivors’ Luncheon April 26 at the Allendale leisure center, where survivors, fighters, caregivers and family members gathered for stories from Lena Green and others. That kind of programming shows the support network does not begin and end on the football field. It starts in church halls, school facilities and community centers, then carries into the relay itself.

The American Cancer Society describes Relay For Life as its signature cancer walk fundraiser and a volunteer-powered movement built around survivors, caregivers, families and friends. That broader network matters in South Carolina, where the state estimated 33,440 new cancer cases and 10,850 cancer deaths in 2022. State cancer profiles show Barnwell County’s all-cancer death rate at 187.2 per 100,000 from 2019 to 2023 and Allendale County’s at 173.4 per 100,000, underscoring why a night of remembrance and fundraising still carries urgent meaning here.