Final tallies aren’t yet in, but memories are made and lives are already changed.

The Miss-Lou Relay for Life, you see, is about more than the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has raised in recent years.

The money is the driving force behind the Relay, and it should be. Every dime toward cancer research puts us a step closer to better treatments and, hopefully, a cure.

But Relay in our community is about more than that.

Relay binds our community. It helps those battling the wicked disease find one another, find inspiration and find hope.

And it helps those who haven’t yet been closely touched by cancer to open their eyes to the impact the disease has on others with whom they interact daily.

The Miss-Lou Relay draws crowds often larger than those in bigger cities because it’s not just a fundraiser here; it’s a family celebration.

With $191,000 in the bank this year and more coming, all those who organized teams, participated in fundraisers, walked the track and led the event deserve a big round of applause.

We thank the Relay committee most, though. This great group of volunteers has the event down to a science, and their organization and dedication is an inspiration each year.

We pray the year to come will spare our community from more cancer-caused heartache, but we fear that dream may not be realized.

So while we wait on a cure, this community will continue to not only raise funds, but also raise our hearts and our hands in support of those around us.