Via Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Rutland Herald
BRANDON — A local Relay for Life team is getting some national attention.
On Feb. 10, the American Cancer Society selected Neshobe School and Friends of Relay for Life of Rutland County as the 2025 Nationwide Team of the Year.
Last year, Neshobe School and Friends raised $16,500 more than in 2024, bringing their total to $37,632 and earning them the spot as the top fundraising team.
The team also hosted its inaugural charity golf event at Neshobe Golf Club in June, raising over $13,000.
Nicole Jorgensen, senior development manager at the American Cancer Society, spoke highly of the team’s efforts to fundraise and raise awareness for cancer research.
“They came up with this idea to create a golf tournament, and I don’t think they even realized how successful it was going to be. They take advantage of every opportunity they can to not just fundraise but also to just educate people about getting screened and what the American Cancer Society does,” Jorgensen said.
In addition to its nationwide award, the team was also awarded the 2025 Northeast Region Community Relay for Life Team of the Year in December.
It’s the first time in its 36-year history that the Nationwide Team of the Year award has been given to a noncorporate team.
Team captain Helen Williams said members were “blown away” by the honor.
“Here we are, this little town of Brandon. It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it, out of all of the relays in the U.S., we won,” Williams said.
Williams has been captain since 2012, succeeding the late team founder Kerry Clifford. Clifford, who was a survivor of breast cancer and a paraeducator at Neshobe Elementary School, founded the team in 1997.
“I am totally amazed by the transformation that’s happened from the time that Kerry did it,” added Claire Pate, a team member and Williams’ sister. “It (started as) just a little card table with a tablecloth on it and some stickers. Looking back over the years, I think, from this little tiny card table to now, having national recognition — it’s amazing for a small town.”
Despite growing up in Brandon, Pate said her career has taken her across the globe. She said the mentality of coming home when a community is so passionate is a positive feeling.
Williams said since its inception, the team has grown to about 30 people, from local friends and family to those from as far away as North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
“I do think that it also just shows we might be Vermont — the small state and the small area — but, nationally, people are looking at us and what we’re doing, and I think that is engaging that everybody’s making a difference,” Jorgensen said.
The Relay for Life of Rutland County is one of the largest groups in New England, with over 50 registered teams, aiming to collectively raise $200,000 before this year’s relay in June.
Pate said she wants people to know that they, too, can put together a team, raise what they can and honor those who have been affected by cancer.
Jorgensen said the Relay for Life event is open to the community, and there’s no need to be formally signed up or a part of a team to join. She added that one big focus for the future is to get the community back to being engaged.
“A card table can turn into national recognition,” Pate said.