If you were driving around Mattapoisett on Saturday, you may have noticed a parade of Jeeps heading toward Ned’s Point Lighthouse. It turns out those Jeeps were congregating to support longtime resident Laurie Nunes who beat cancer not once but three times.

Relay for Life

In 2014, Laurie Nunes was diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancers. In 2019, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her sister decided to start a team with Relay For Life, a movement dedicated to helping communities attack cancer. They call themselves The Courageous 8, and every year, the team hosts its own event to give back to an organization that helped Nunes reach remission in 2020.

Jeeps & Peeps

“I own a Jeep and I go to Jeep events, so I threw the idea out to my team and we ran with it,” Nunes said about the creation of Jeeps & Peeps.

“We started Jeeps & Peeps in 2017 with around 25 jeeps and three donations, and now we average 75 to 100 jeeps with a lot more donations,” Nunes said. “We’ve really grown.”

Nunes and her team receive support from the tightly knit Jeep community, Mattapoisett Town Hall and local selectmen to put on the yearly event at Ned’s Point in hopes of raising money for Team Courageous 8 and Relay For Life.

No Joke Smoke BBQ in Swansea generously caters for the event every year, Hiller Jeep in Marion provides donations and raffles, and the community comes out in droves to help Nunes and her team make a difference.

Working Towards a World Without Cancer

“It’s not just me. The event wouldn’t be possible without my amazing team,” Nunes said. “Unfortunately, everyone, somehow in some way, has been affected by cancer. We try to honor those people and hopefully, one day, get rid of cancer all together.”

This year, Team Courageous 8 raised $3,000, which will go toward the 2023 calendar year for Relay For Life of Greater Fall River.

“It’s amazing,” Nunes said of the continued support she and her team receive.

She looks forward to continuing the Jeeps & Peeps tradition next year, so if you have a Jeep, consider riding down to Ned’s Point next August to give back and make a difference.

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