NEW GLASGOW
One of the first teams to grace the track at the Scott Weeks Sport Centre when the Relay for Life first came to Pictou County was Neil MacKinnon’s Mac Attack.
The Mac Attack first began 15 years ago, when Neil MacKinnon, now a retired phys-ed teacher at North Nova Education Centre, wanted to take a stand against cancer. As soon as it was possible for him to participate in the event, when it came to New Glasgow, MacKinnon was a part of the Relay.
“Cancer has been at the forefront among my friends, family, neighbourhood and colleagues,” MacKinnon said, explaining his motivation to start a team in the Relay for Life.
“Five years after I was diagnosed with cancer myself – in 2000 – the relay came along, so I decided to put a team in, and help the cause,” he said.
It was several years later when Shane Hampton, a former colleague of MacKinnon’s at North Nova, became inspired and joined Mac Attack to help in the fundraising efforts. The two have been a collaborative force in raising local support ever since.
“I enquired about the relay and was looking to get involved – I paid for a donation, joined the team, and I’ve been a part of it for eight years,” sad Hampton. “I started my teaching career in Halifax, but came here, was inspired and joined a few years later.”
MacKinnon said he always looks forward to the rewarding process of running all night at the event – and watching the striking scene that occurs at night, as the luminaries are lit up, honouring those who have died in their fights against cancer.
“It’s amazing to think of how busy that field will be,” said Hampton.
Although they get plenty of support, both MacKinnon and Hampton admit that fundraising can be challenging – especially with an assortment of charities and events and going on in the warmer months.
Both MacKinnon and Hampton emphasized how grateful they are to live in a community like Pictou County, where there is no shortage of local generosity, and that “every dollar counts – that’s the bottom line.”
MacKinnon said he has solid faith in his own support group – people upon whom he calls every year, to provide financial support in anticipation of the June 2 Relay for Life at Glasgow Square.
“God bless them, they support me – colleagues, neighbours, peers, friends. They are all dedicated, and I’m grateful for them,” said MacKinnon.
One thing that has been a boon to their fundraising efforts has been technology. Hampton said that social media has significantly expanded Mac Attack’s ability to get support in anticipation of the Relay.
“We’ve got much greater fundraising reach from local community members, and from people far away,” Hampton said. “It’s really changed the game.”
Technology has also made it easier to sort out who has given what in terms of donations. MacKinnon remembers the confusing process of sorting through piles of donation receipts during the first 12 years of Mac Attack’s participation in the Relay for Life.
“There was a receipt for every cent … and now, there are no receipts. They do it all online,” said MacKinnon.
MacKinnon and Hampton spoke with reverence about the quirky, yet effective fundraising methods of Jeana’s Girls, through their Pink Toilet campaign, saying “they do an amazing job. Nina’s dad is a trooper, too.”
Although MacKinnon and Hampton are two stalwarts on Mac Attack, the size of the team, and its fundraising capacity is subject to year-to-year variation.
“Sometimes we have a minimum of 10 some years, sometimes 12, and sometimes we have up to 14 people,” said MacKinnon. “For whatever reason the team numbers and sizes have been increasing at the Relay, so that’s great news.”
