Team Bonney Lake followed the yellow brick road Friday and Saturday, in hopes of finding a cure for cancer during the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

In the end, even early-Saturday morning rain showers couldn’t dampen team members’ spirits.

“We probably, throughout the course, had about 25 people walk for Team Bonney Lake,” Special Events Coordinator David Wells said.

Their efforts paid off.

“We ended up with raising over $4,000 for Relay for Life,” he said.

Although that number was lower than the $5,000 the team raised last year and $3,500 short of this year’s goal, Wells said he was well-pleased with the final amount.

“With the lower economy, there was a lower number of people who could donate,” he said. “So we were pretty happy with what we got.”

During the event, Team Bonney Lake joined hundreds of other participating teams by taking turns walking continuously around the track while a disk jockey provided entertainment. A 3 a.m. showing of “The Wizard of Oz” Saturday morning on a giant, inflatable screen canceled toward the movie’s end after rain threatened electronic equipment. But regardless of the weather, Wells counted the event a success.

The weekend also took on an especially personal note for Wells, who worked at a children’s camp for cancer patients for seven years.

“Anything we can do is an effort, so those kids don’t have to have a reason to go to camp - or at least not that reason to go to camp,” he said.

Team Bonney Lake is open to new members for next year, he said, and also encouraged anyone wishing to form their own teams of 10 to 15 participants to get involved.

“Overall, it was a good weekend,” he said, “Everyone had a good time and I was glad people turned out.”

Reach Judy Halone at jhalone@courierherald.com or 360-802-8210.