Shopping to raise funds may seem like a juxtaposition, but this message played true at Santa Clarita Valley’s Relay for Life annual Holiday Boutique on Saturday.
The Santa Clarita United Methodist Church was filled with beeswax wraps, soaps, handmade cards, Christmas ornaments and wreaths, all in the name of raising money for Relay for Life.
In 2023, Relay for Life of Santa Clarita Valley will be celebrating its 25th year. For 14 of those 25 years, they have been putting on the Holiday Boutique.
At Relay for Life many teams have booths as fundraisers for the event. Kathleen Pavard decided to make the fundraising into an entire event.
Out of the many vendors, 11 vendors are donating 100% of their sales to the cause.
“It seems like craft fairs are really big draws in the valley,” said previous event chair of SCV Relay for Life Leslie Borgon.
“People are more likely to want to shop during the holidays,” said Pavard.
Santa Clarita consistently ranks in the top 25 nationwide for Relay for Life fundraising.
“It’s important to the community and it’s important to continue to fundraise for research to support the programs that we offer because a lot of our programs are free,” said Borgon.
The pandemic hurt many nonprofits in the financial sense. Relay for Life was no exception.
This boutique served as a way to create profits for a cause that many families need, so that they do not have to feel the financial stressors of a cancer diagnosis.
“I personally do not know anyone who has not lost a loved one to cancer and that’s why we do it,” said Pavard.
Relay for Life of Santa Clarita is scheduled to take place on May 6, 2023..
For more information on Relay for Life of Santa Clarita, visit bit.ly/3VuWrlN. To donate to Relay for Life of Santa Clarita, visit bit.ly/3GvR3KC. For more information on the American Cancer Society, visit https://www.cancer.org.
