It took some thought after those first two tentative meetings at the town hall in Genk... What the people from the Foundation against Cancer came to tell us was critically examined and listened to from a safe distance.
The ice melted quickly, as did the distance between our committee members. Everyone quickly found his/her place within our volunteer action committee. Survivors, mission, teams, logistics, accounting, catering, activities, volunteers...the puzzle fell together nicely, even though some pieces took longer than others.
With the support of several major partners, like the city of Genk and the T.I.S.L. (Sint-Lodewijk Technical Institute), everything quickly took shape, or at least the first blueprint. Add to this the support of an enthusiastic godmother & godfather, Stephanie De Buysser and Koen Vanmechelen, and the story of the Genk Relay for Life could start after a terrific kickoff.
The search for survivors, teams, sponsors, etc., could begin. Counting on our superteam for this, we would succeed, sometimes more easily than at other times.
The great thing about our team is the survivors; naturally, we all know a survivor in our immediate vicinity, within our team. People who know what the illness and the treatments involve, people who know why they are doing this. All of them fantastic people, who from time to time keep our feet on the ground and confront us with who we are organising our Relay for Life for... our survivors & our mission!!!
It’s great to see how a few strangers have come together after a few months and formed a superteam that is setting up the Genk Relay for Life. Slowly growing, the group of strangers has become a group of Relay-for-Lifers/friends. Super-enthusiastic, bursting with ideas and energy, a group in which everyone can count on the support and friendship of everyone else.
Gradually we work toward our Relay for Life, and in his/her enthusiasm everyone wants to see the whole puzzle, even if that must wait a bit longer.
