Survivors and supporters gathered together Saturday to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Relay for Life for Tamaqua and its surrounding communities. Despite the weekend’s rainy weather, it was not enough to dampen their spirits.

Guest speaker Danelle Kane shared not only her own experiences with cancer but her family’s history with the disease during Saturday’s survivor ceremony.

She went into detail about her mother’s battle with cancer and the toll that it had on her and her family.

“The biggest thought running through my head was that it was 15 years to the week that my mom was originally diagnosed,” said Kane.

Rather than surrender to her fears, Kane was determined to continue on with her life as usual.

She stressed the importance of discovering the disease early and how it can make all the difference.

The 12-hour event featured plenty of activities, including a butterfly release, survivor ceremony, ice cream social, basket raffle, luminaria service and more.

Several volunteers donated their talents, including Angela Nardini, Sounds of Heaven, Polka Joe Manjack, T-102’s DJ RC, DJ Luke Mateyak, Magic 105.5 WMGH with Ann Marie Calabrese and DJ Kristin.

“I didn’t know that there was this level of fundraising and involvement,” said Gail Christopher-Lazar of Hope on the Hill relay team. “It’s been a great experience for me because I can do so much for people suffering from this disease.”

In honor of 25 years of hosting Relay for Life, each team picked an individual theme to incorporate into their tent design.

Awards were presented to the top three most creative teams. Hope on the Hill earned first for its ’70s theme, the Telethon team placed second for its ’80s theme and Luther’s Angels took third for Colors for a Cure.

As of recent calculations the top three team donations include Luther’s Angels $7,540, Tamaqua Area Event $5,867 and Panther Valley School District $5,678.

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/patamaquaarea.