Dallas County Relay for Life hosted its annual event Saturday at the Perry High School track, and about a dozen teams took part in the fundraising efforts.

The teams were walking to raise money for the American Cancer Society, which seeks to advance cancer research in an effort to one day find a cure. As honorary survivor Clark Wicks said in his speech, their efforts have been very successful, as cancer is much easier to fight now than it had been in years past. Relay has a lot to do with that, as it’s the single biggest nationwide fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Wicks said, “Hey, it’s a great event. I hope that we can continue to help the researchers. The people that continue to make strides so that cancer doesn’t mean a death sentence, but it means that you’re going to have to fight, but there’s always hope.”

Wicks, who has been cancer-free for almost a year after being diagnosed with late-stage lymphoma, was asked to speak by Dallas County Relay Co-Chair Gary Iles. Iles was pleased with the turnout for the event, which raised around $21,000, though he had been hoping for around $30,000. However, he says they can still get closer to that goal. “Any amount helps. $21,000 is great. And you know, we may keep on trickling money in throughout the year. We have until the end of the year to do it. So I’m pretty pleased with the $21,000.”

Iles was thankful for everyone who took part, particularly the teams that helped raise so much money for the cause.