CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Cancer never takes a day off.

Fortunately for those afflicted with the disease, neither do Butler's Relay for Life volunteers.

The Relay for Life, a cancer fighting fundraising event, ran from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday at the Butler Farm Show grounds. It lasted 24 hours to represent the idea that cancer never sleeps.

However, the efforts of Butler's 26th annual relay and the American Cancer Society went beyond that 24-hour period.

“We always do pre-relay fundraisers, too,” said Emma Eisenbrandt, community manager for the cancer society. “We fundraise all year round. This isn't a one-day event, and that's what makes (the Relay For Life) so successful.”

The weekend included walking or jogging around a track and perusing basket auctions, bake sales and other games.

Before noon Saturday, the Relay for Life had already reached its goal of $55,000. This morning, organizer Shelly Manning said the event had raised a total of $71,839 on the back of strong community support.

“I think our teams care, and I think the community really does get involved,” Manning said. “We made our goal before we even went in that day. Before we even started walking we had it.”

Twenty of the 24 fundraising teams were at the event to raise money, and each team aimed to have a participant on the track at all times. The teams adopted a Disney theme this year, adorning their tents in honor of movies, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “Star Wars,” and “Winnie the Pooh.”

There were 171 registered walkers, but Eisenbrandt estimated that the number would end up being 300 to 500.

Some of the participants were themselves cancer survivors. Dolores Schmidt of Butler is a two-time cancer survivor who was raising money through a bake sale at the event.

She survived cancer in 1993 and again in 1998.

“I was very upset when I had my chemotherapy, and my first great-grandson was born when I had that,” she said. “He was my little link to life. It helps when you have someone that you're very fond of or love.”

She compared the experience to what she has now with her Relay for Life team, Marty's Marchers, as there is the possibility her cancer could return.

“Here our team is very encouraging,” she said. “Right now I'm in danger of possibly getting another cancer, but I'm watching very closely, and people are helping me. It means a lot when you're down and you just want to sit and cry. It really helps to have someone just want to help you out.”

Schmidt said that catching her cancer early was key to her survival.

“Make sure you get your tests,” she said. “They caught both of mine early. That is a great thing if everybody remembers to get their tests early.”

Denise Schandelmeier of West Sunbury beat lymphoma and was at Saturday's event. She's been a part of the relay for 14 years, even before her diagnosis in 2012.

“It's obviously more personal to me now, but I've always believed in this cause and I've wanted to support this,” she said. “This is just a fun way to do it. It brings the survivors and caretakers together, and it's just a beautiful way to honor everybody.”

Her brother, Jason Lewis, came out to walk with his children in support of her.

“When it hits home it gets rather personal,” he said. “We're out here her to support her. We're lucky she's in remission.”

Heather Gault, who works at Butler Medical Oncology, came with her 17-year-old son to support the cause.

“I see what (cancer patients) go through and see what their struggles are,” she said. “Hopefully we'll eventually raise enough money and cure cancer.”