Event to bring community, survivors together July 25

The Ninth Annual Vernon County American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Friday, July 25, will once again bring cancer survivors together to celebrate their achievements and help raise money to fight cancer. The evening begins at 6 o'clock with an opening ceremony for cancer survivors then four local performers will entertain the crowd beginning at 7 o'clock. During the event teams will attempt to keep at least one member of the team walking laps from darkness until daylight symbolizing their refusal to stop fighting until cancer has been stopped. While a teammate is doing laps, others on the team can listen to the entertainment, enjoy the fellowship of others, partake of games or enjoy some refreshments while waiting their turn to walk. Marilyn Edmonds said there will be plenty of activities for people to experience. "Parker Nielson will be there with his train and inflatable slide and the inflatable bounce house. You don't have to be a cancer survivor to participate and you don't have to stay all night so everyone should come and enjoy themselves." The entertainment this year will kick off with Shanna Johnson at 7 p.m. Johnson started singing practically before she started walking. She has enjoyed entertaining and performing in Nevada and the surrounding areas for many years. She started her singing career in a group called "Heaven Sent" during her early school years and enjoyed competitive district and state performances during her high school years. Through her involvement with the Community Council on the Performing Arts since 1986, Johnson has become a regular on stage with the community singers and has acted in numerous theatrical productions. She busies herself with a full-time job at Wilkinson Health Services, attending all the many events her children are involved in and volunteering for Missouri Special Olympics. She enjoys singing and listening to all kinds of music and sharing the stage with her daughters, Erica, Lauren and Madison. She considers it an honor to contribute her time and talent to Relay for Life. Lora Wade will follow Johnson at 7:30 p.m. Wade is thrilled to return for the 2003 Relay for Life. In May of this year, Wade lost her grandfather, Max O. Brown, to cancer. However, many of her family members are cancer survivors. Wade states in a press release that she, herself, has been the focus of God's healing hand. She was the victim in an accident that resulted in the loss of a portion of her right lung and ongoing surgery to her right hand. She was unable to sing for Relay for Life last year due to the accident. She was told by her team of physicians that she should not be alive today. Wade will return to Drury University this fall. She now focuses on performing for weddings, churches, schools, youth events, and groups of all ages, giving her inspiring account of the power of prayer. She is an overwhelming influence to those who are able to attend one of her performances. Her music began here in Nevada, where she was born, and has grown to encompass all of the United States as a result of her experience in Branson. Wade was in the First Baptist Church Preschool Choir and has been on stages around the country. Her smile has become an uplifting beacon to all as she sings. Wade's unique style of performing has become well-known as her signature. Her music spans several styles including religious, classical, country and pop and she will perform a few original pieces she has written. Tiffany Esry will follow Wade at 8 p.m. Esry is the daughter of Kent and Connie Esry, El Dorado Springs. A recent graduate of El Dorado Springs High School Esry attends Crowder College studying Elementary Education. Esry has been performing since she was 10 years old and has been a member of Show Choir in middle and high school. Esry has also performed in several theaters in Branson. Esry has lost three great-grandparents as well as uncles and an aunt to cancer and one uncle and a cousin are cancer survivors. Esry knows cancer is a deadly disease and is glad to be a part of this event to find a cure for cancer. The final singer of the evening will be Elisha Ellis. Ellis, 15, was born in Nevada and is the daughter of Chris and Peggy Ellis. Ellis attends Nevada High School. She started singing when she was just a young girl, performing for her family and making home videos. Influenced by performers in Branson and such artists as Faith Hill, Reba McIntire, Patsy Cline, and many others Ellis decided that the entertainment business was for her. Ellis has many performances under her belt including participating in three Colgate Country Showdowns, singing at the First Baptist Church, the August A. Busch Four Rivers dedication ceremony and the Cancer Survivors' Dinner. She entertains for Wilbur Charbonneau's Fireworks Shows and has been the Thursday night performer at the El Dorado Springs Picnic and has performed with local blues band L.C. Houston and Sly, Slick and Wicked. Ellis currently performs monthly at multiple jubilees in the area and has produced a demo CD with a recording company in Nashville, Tenn. With the demo completed Ellis plans to begin pitching the CD. Relay for Life began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash., did a lone 24 hour walk/run to raise money for the American Cancer Society. He raised $27,000 in his first effort. The following year, 220 supporters on 19 teams joined him in the overnight event. Since then Relay for Life spread to 3,800 communities in the United States and eight foreign countries, including here in Vernon County. The overnight event is filled with symbolism fraught with meaning including the timing of the event itself, from darkness until dawn, symbolizing the struggle each cancer patient goes through from the darkness following diagnosis, through the long night of treatment and the eventual dawning of hope as the patient overcomes obstacles to become a survivor as day breaks.