What keeps a community walking—year after year—for a cause that never sleeps? In Johnston County, Relay for Life has evolved from overnight laps around a track to a full-day festival of hope, remembrance, and resilience. In this episode, I sit down with two women who refused to let the mission fade after COVID. Why does Relay still matter? What drives people to keep showing up? And how does it change lives right here at home?

If you ever wondered what is Relay for Life? Is Relay for Life still active after COVID? When is Johnston County Relay for Life and how you can get involved to help raise critical funds for the American Cancer Society? We answer all those questions on this podcast, so listen in.

Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it's a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.

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We've interviewed a lot of great people from Johnston County. If you love Johnston County as much as I do, this is the podcast for you. Welcome Samantha and Joy, right? Samantha McCoy, Joy Barbour. All right. And I've met Joy Barbour before. It's the first time I met Samantha McCoy. I appreciate y'all coming to be on.

We'll start with Samantha. What's your name? What do you do,

Samantha McCoy: Samantha McCoy. I am a managing broker for Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay, cool. And Joy, what do you do?

Jonathan Breeden: That's awesome. That's awesome. So the first question I guess I have is, and I remember when you were a teacher too, back in the days. So anyway what is Relay for Life?

Samantha McCoy: So, Relay For Life is the major fundraiser for American Cancer Society.

Jonathan Breeden: All right. And when did it get started? I mean, it's been going on for a long time.

Jonathan Breeden: to Johnston County

We were a small group, but we tried to do something and then I ended up getting with the Garner Jaycees and we did a ton with Relay for Life and Garner, and I walked around the track all night several times. And we would have a push cart of coffee and we called it JC Java, and we would sell coffee to the walkers who were there 2, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning.

I was shocked how many people were walking at three o'clock in the morning.

Joy Barbour: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: Me and the former mayor of Garner walked for about three miles one time. Just Sam bur Sam, I forget his last name, but we had the best time, so ton of fun. Me pushing his cart, trying to sell coffee. So anyway, but a good time.

Had all, that's, that's when I really was involved in it. Unfortunately, I've not been as involved in it as I was when I was with the Garner Jaycees 20 years ago. Get married, have kids, all that good stuff. But I really enjoyed my time when I was doing it every year. And then it used to be there for a while.

Joy Barbour: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And I know it's moved to Triple S high school since then. So, talk about sort of how it's evolved. I think it's sort of, has continues to outgrow different locations.

Joy Barbour: Well. As you mentioned, it started out at JCC and then construction on campus kind of forced us to make a decision and Triple S was our choice. It's a safe contained area, more so than around the lake at Johnston community. It has changed from the overnight walking, like you experienced early on to more of a festival type of atmosphere that Johnston County moved to last year. Originally, you would get teams from churches, businesses, friends, family.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that's awesome. That's awesome. So let's talk about what it is now and when it's going to be. And, and what people can expect.

Samantha McCoy: So it's gonna be at Triple S High School. Saturday, April the 16th. 16th, right?

Joy Barbour: 18th, 18th.

Jonathan Breeden: April 18th.

Samantha McCoy: April 18.

Samantha McCoy: from 1:00 PM in the afternoon till nine. So we will still have the different themes relapse. We'll have our opening ceremonies. We will recognize our survivors. And celebrate them. And then we will have different activities throughout the day. So there'll be food truck rodeo, there'll be different vendors, different performance, and so forth.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So it's not overnight anymore, just like you said. Which is fine with me. I, I thought it was interesting 'cause you know, you used to get, if you, you could get people to donate for how many laps you want.

Joy Barbour: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: You could get for how many, how long you could stand up. I mean, you could come up all different kinds of ways. So, so. They still do the survivor walk.

That's always the most powerful thing, at least when I have been to Relay for Life.

Joy Barbour: Yes. And the evening ends with the luminary ceremony. The lights are turned out there. The bags, torches, lanterns are lit around the track. There is a silent walk for that particular part of the ceremony. And then the evening is over around 9:00 PM.

Jonathan Breeden: So one way teams can raise money is to sell the luminary

Joy Barbour: absolutely

Jonathan Breeden: bags. Right. I've, I've bought many of those over the years, even though I've not been to one lately, but I have bought my share of bags. So, I think that's great. So let's just talk a little bit about if you're somebody listening to this podcast, you've never heard of Relay for Life, what do they need to know?

What are sort of the basics and how would they go about getting involved?

Samantha McCoy: So they'll go to RelayForLife.org that's the first place they wanna go pick a location. There's several throughout the area that they can choose from at different times. Register themselves. So they can start a team or they can join a team if they choose to or just join the event in general.

From there they will get the communication of what's happening. We have meetings throughout the year to help them prep for it leading up to the event.

Joy Barbour: They fundraise all year long. Many people have dinners. Gospel sings raffles, which are what's the better word for?

Samantha McCoy: Chance drawings.

Joy Barbour: Chance drawings. You know, people offer quilts to raffle off, you know, to raise funds. At the event some teams will provide food. And along with our food trucks, and that's a way of making money bingos certain churches have bingo nights and donate the proceeds. So, our vendors and our food trucks are asked to pay a certain fee if they would like to be at our event.

And that's four areas right here within drivable distance of Johnston County. So we even have a cancer center in Fayetteville that have patients go down there and they have become involved with our Relay for life.

Jonathan Breeden: And that's what I thought the answer was, which I asked the question. And you know everybody's very familiar with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Joy Barbour: Yes, yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Which is breast cancer research.

Joy Barbour: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: And they do walks and stuff usually. May, early June, I guess.

Joy Barbour: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Is about when that's gonna be. And you know, I know that's important too. They do great work there, of course at the Jimmy V Foundation, everybody knows Jim Valvano and all the cancer research.

I think they do kind of all cancers too similar to American Cancer Society, which is great. So is there a minimum that any individual or team has to raise to be a part of Relay for Life Johnston County?

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Samantha McCoy: So our, goal is that everybody does, you know, strive to raise a hundred dollars.

Jonathan Breeden: All right, I got you. And some teams raise like $50,000, right?

Joy Barbour: Lots of money.

Jonathan Breeden: Right? Lots and lots of money. How much money did Relay for Life Johnston County raise last year? Do y'all know?

Joy Barbour: We were right at the 97,000.

Jonathan Breeden: That's awesome

Joy Barbour: figure our goal was a hundred thousand.

Samantha McCoy: A hundred thousand. Yeah.

Joy Barbour: But, and, and this year we have upped our goal to 120,000 for Johnston County, but we felt that $97,000 was a very good showing for a showing the county that relay is not dead, right? Relay is, has always been here. Yes, there are competing charities out there for dollars, but cancer has touched me in a way. I lost both parents within 18 months of each other to cancer. So that's my driving force.

Joy Barbour: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: I mean, it's affected my life. It's affected yours.

Joy Barbour: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: And I am really hopeful that with AI and the research that's being done that maybe in the next five to 10 years, we really will have a cure for some of these cancers or maybe all of the cancers. I'm hopeful. I don't know if that's that's gonna happen, but, but I'm believed that this AI may be able to solve this just because of the amount of information that these supercomputers can process and put together to see if they can figure out what's going on.

Have family law questions? Need guidance to navigate legal challenges? The compassionate team at Breeden Law Office is here to help. Visit us at www. breedenfirm. com for practical advice, resources, or to book a consultation. Remember, when life gets messy, you don't have to face it alone.

Jonathan Breeden: How many teams were involved last year?

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's great.

Joy Barbour: But again pandemic. Mm-hmm. And the fact that there are other competing charities for monies and, and that very core beginning. Idea of, of Relay for Life in Johnston County.

It had waned a little bit, you know, for the newer generations that like this festival approach, it's not the all night thing and Relay does not mean that you have to have someone on the track 24/7. It is relay because that's how it started, but it's more of showing up. Earning some money while you're out there to contribute to relay for Life and just celebrating what we have already done to raise money for the months and the year leading up to that April 18th.

What support systems does Relay for Life help support in Johnston County that can help people that are either going through it or dealing with grief because they lost somebody to cancer? Tell me a little bit about that.

There's road to recovery in some communities. That means there are volunteers that will drive people to their appointments their treatment centers. Those volunteers are there to help that cancer patient. There's also Hope Lodge in Greenville, North Carolina that the American Cancer Society helps to fund.

That is very much like the Ronald McDonald House where families can stay there while a person is being treated at the medical center there in Greenville. Any other things that come to mind?

Samantha McCoy: That's our biggest one, and the biggest one that we are looking for more volunteers for is our Road to Recovery.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Samantha McCoy: So there's, you know, no one should have to miss an appointment because they don't have a ride. Or have someone to take them or something. So we're looking for volunteers all the time locally here in Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Samantha McCoy: So we can help them get to that treatment or get to that appointment and so forth. So.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Have y'all worked with JCATS and, and to help people get to their appointments and stuff?

Samantha McCoy: That is,

He, he did a really nice job and, and we're lucky to have him. He, he's done a great job in the couple of years he's been here in Johnston County.

Joy Barbour: I think the medical center here in Johnston County is really more in charge of coordinating between the cancer center and the hospital, you know what those individuals need at this particular time.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well, if somebody wanted to volunteer to help take people to medical appointments and stuff, how, how would they get in touch with y'all so they could get on y'all's list?

Joy Barbour: I think ashleywickline@cancer.org would be a terrific way to get in. She's our staff person with the American Cancer Society so that would be a beginning

Samantha McCoy: or just go to cancer.org and they wanna volunteer and it will direct 'em and then it will, that information will be sent back to her.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. That's awesome. That's awesome. Great. cancer.org and then relayforlife.org.

Jonathan Breeden: event close to them, including the one in Johnston County.

Samantha McCoy: Yep.

Jonathan Breeden: Now, wake County used to have three or four.

Joy Barbour: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Do they still have three or four? They may have more than that.

Joy Barbour: I know they have at least three because our staff partner is also their director as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Joy Barbour: Garner is a very big one.

Jonathan Breeden: That's the one I used to do. It's, it was huge.

Joy Barbour: And Cary has their version and then kind of north and northeast Raleigh.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. So anybody can get involved.

Samantha McCoy: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: There are no minimums. You can, a team can be two people, right? You ask. They raise a hundred dollars and come out and just participate even if you're not on a team. You can go to the festival.

Joy Barbour: Oh yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Eat some of the food. Watch the survivor walk, which will move anybody. You cannot watch that and not cry.

I know. I never have. I mean, what time is that at? Is it at a, y'all know what time it is?

And they're there to just

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Joy Barbour: Make things festive. Right. You know, for those that attend.

Jonathan Breeden: Why did you choose to get involved with Relay for Life?

Samantha McCoy: So ironically enough I was vice president for our women's club back in California and we had someone that just came in and presented and they always say, when you leave the room or if you ask too many questions, you're voluntold. And that's what happened.

Jonathan Breeden: That's awesome. That's awesome.

Samantha McCoy: Not involved. Team captain and online chair. That chair and that. Stay, volunteer. So I've been doing this for almost 18 years.

So Joy, I mean you are Relay for Life, Johnston County as far as I'm concerned, but how did you initially get involved?

Jonathan Breeden: Right.

Joy Barbour: And it actually does and and Relay is for all of Johnston County. It's not just because it's in Smithfield.

Samantha McCoy: Right.

Joy Barbour: That's the chosen location that said, yes, you can come here and have your event but Johnston County is, well relay's in every part of Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, it is and teams come from all over the county.

Joy Barbour: Absolutely.

Jonathan Breeden: I mean, you have teams from all over the county or at least you did the, the last one I went to, which I think was just a few years ago.

So, yeah. I mean, so right and in Smithfield, centrally located which is good, easy to get to Triple S High School. It's right there in in Smithfield and there's tons of facilities and the park's there. If you got kids, there's, there's a park right next to it. You got Smithfield Community Park so

Joy Barbour: absolutely

Samantha McCoy: I would say just jump on the website right now. Don't think anymore about it. Everybody's been touched by cancer some way or another, right?

So come on out, have fun with us and help us raise some money and raise awareness.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well that's great. And the last question I ask everybody on this podcast, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Samantha McCoy: So I've been here about seven years and I just love the people.

Jonathan Breeden: Most people say the people. What would you say, how, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Joy Barbour: Well, I'm a native of Johnston County and I think rural, meeting the urban, you get a little bit of countryside, you get a little bit of that, those amenities that a big city will give you, like, like Clayton. And so it's, it's just. It's just a good feel.

That's the end of today's episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.