The fight against cancer runs through Relay For Life of Thurston County as volunteers, sponsors, cancer survivors, caregivers and community members band together in support of the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life of Thurston County Presented by TwinStar Credit Union currently has a record 95 fundraising teams registered and ready to take to the track at North Thurston High School on June 21-22, 2025.
Leading up to the Relay For Life event, fundraising teams have been hard at work engaging their communities through a series of special fundraising events, ranging from a paint and sip party, to garage sales, to a bingo gathering.
Relay For Life of Thurston County Has Raised Millions for the American Cancer Society
For more than three decades, Relay For Life of Thurston County has been a philanthropic powerhouse, raising over $8.3 million for the American Cancer Society since 1990. Relay For Life of Thurston County has also been nationally ranked as a Top Ten Relay fundraising event for 2023 and 2024. In 2025, Relay For Life of Thurston County is poised to reach new heights, as of this writing they have raised over $400,000 toward their 2025 fundraising goal of $500,000.
Relay For Life of Thurston County’s ‘Connolly’s Crew’ Is a Relay For Life Legacy Team
Shelley and Jonathan Sprouffske have long been dedicated to Relay For Life as they have navigated new employment opportunities, life transitions and lost loved ones to cancer. Over the years, Relay For Life has not only been a way for Shelley and Jonathan to give back, but has also become a venue for personal milestones. In June 2007, when the couple attended Relay For Life Tacoma-Puget Sound as leaders of respective fundraising teams, Jonathan proposed to Shelley on the event’s center stage.
When Jonathan joined the law firm Connolly, Tacon & Meserve later in 2007, the couple’s dedication to Relay For Life continued in Thurston County, where they were set to launch a new Relay fundraising team through the law firm. The team made their Relay For Life of Thurston County debut in June 2008. In 2010, a partner of Connolly, Tacon & Meserve, Jim Connolly, passed away from cancer and the law firm’s fundraising team was renamed “Connolly’s Crew” in his honor. According to Shelley, Jim was a baseball enthusiast who often spoke of the importance of “going the distance,” even sharing that message on an advice card at Shelley and Jonathan’s wedding.
“We really like to think we’re going the distance for him, even in his absence, still honoring him with every, every fundraising event that we do, since then,” says Shelley.
The Sprouffskes are currently co-captains of “Connolly’s Crew,” which was designated as a nationwide Relay For Life Legacy Team in 2021. According to Shelley, the work of Relay volunteers and fundraising teams help more funds go toward vital programming, and is an opportunity for community members to take part in a greater purpose. Through the work of volunteers, funds raised for the American Cancer Society benefit cancer research, as well as support programs for cancer survivors and caregivers, including Hope Lodges and the Road to Recovery program.
Leading up to this year’s Relay, “Connolly’s Crew” invited the community to join the cause through a series of seasonal fundraising events, including the St. Patrick’s Day-themed Blarney Blast and Egg My House fundraiser ahead of the Easter holiday.
And from June 21-22, 2025, Relay For Life of Thurston County will return to North Thurston High School with a “Relay Like It’s 1985,” theme to celebrate their 40th year. Attendees will have ample opportunity to channel their 1980s spirit throughout the day, especially during the 80s Theme Lap, Material Girl Lap and 80s Costume Contest Fundraiser. In between laps around the track, attendees may also enjoy an ongoing schedule of festivities like tug-of-war, pie eating, Zumba, yoga and food trucks. At Relay, “Connolly’s Crew” plans to fully embrace the 1980s theme with their own “Back to the Future” motif.
In the evening, the Bagpiper Lap and Luminaria serve as important memorials for all who have been affected by cancer and for family and friends who have passed away from cancer. Relay’s Luminaria is an especially moving event for Shelley, as a way to remember her younger brother who passed away from cancer.
TwinStar Credit Union Is Community-Focused as Presenting Sponsor of Relay For Life of Thurston County
Support for Relay For Life of Thurston County takes on multiple forms, including through the 2025 presenting sponsor, TwinStar Credit Union. For more than eight decades, TwinStar Credit Union has maintained a strong sense of community stewardship. According to Corinn Wohl, Director of Community Engagement for TwinStar Credit Union, a key tenet of the not-for-profit financial cooperative is to care for the local community.
This includes support for regional nonprofits and causes related to education, food security, financial wellness and diversity, equity and inclusion. TwinStar Credit Union also has a fundraising team composed of dedicated credit union employees that participates in Relay For Life of Thurston County each year.
“Being a part of the communities that we serve is a piece of our core identity,” says Wohl. “Our employees live in these communities. Our members live in these communities. So we don’t want to just support them, we want to be embedded into the communities.”
According to Wohl, Relay For Life of Thurston County is an event where every member of the community can gather and experience a meaningful moment, whether they are a cancer survivor, have a loved one battling cancer or are a community member wanting to support the cause. Wohl adds that Relay For Life of Thurston County may also be a chance for attendees to learn more about the strong network of support and resources that are available to cancer survivors in the region.
To learn more about fundraising teams or ways to get involved, visit the Relay For Life of Thurston County Presented by TwinStar Credit Union website.
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