LEWISTON, Maine — On Wednesday morning, the Dempsey Center location in Lewiston buzzed with anticipation, busyness, and excitement. Handfuls of volunteers showed up to arrange T-shirts, move equipment, and stuff packets. They're on a tight deadline, with the 15th annual Dempsey Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 23 approaching quickly.
"My relationship with the Dempsey Center started in 2012 when I was an intern in college," Nikki Withrow, who is in her 11th year volunteering and helps to oversee packet pick-up and registration, said.
Withrow said it's hard to put into words everything this annual weekend means to her.
"It’s just gearing up to see really the second family that you only see once a year, maybe," Withrow said.
Withrow said she has quite a few close family members and friends she has lost to cancer over the years. It's why she says she's grateful the Dempsey Center has been able to slowly expand its reach through fundraising efforts like the Dempsey Challenge.
"I really love how accessible they’ve become—even if you’re way in northern Maine where it’s hard to get services, or across the country," Withrow said.
This year, all of the Dempsey Challenge activities (the 5K, cycling events, and a new duathlon) are happening in one day instead of two. Dempsey Center events manager Deneka Deletetsky said the hope is there will be more people there to experience everything Saturday has to offer.
"It’s not just about going out and doing your activity. It’s the feeling you get—to see the cancer community come together," Deletetsky said.
Deletetsky said about 2,000 people have registered for the Dempsey Challenge in person so far, and more than 200 others are doing it virtually all around the world. She said 150 people have self-reported doing the Dempsey Challenge for all 15 years.
"I just can’t wait to celebrate these people. I think that’s what I’m most looking forward to," Deletetsky said.
She also mentioned putting on this weekend would be impossible without all of the people willing to help.
"We absolutely could not do it without our volunteers," Deletetsky said. "At the end of the day, we have about 500 volunteers that help us both pre-event, event weekend, and post-event."
Client experience specialist Julia Harding said the annual Dempsey Challenge helps to fund the services and support the Dempsey Center offers cancer patients and their loved ones for free.
"A lot of clients are just very thankful we’re here," Harding said. "I get a lot of personal thank you's for being here and working here. All of our clients are super grateful, and all of the families are super grateful, as well."
You can donate to the Dempsey Center here. You can also register to take part in the 2023 Dempsey Challenge in person by attending an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 at the Lewiston location.