Relay for Life Farmington Event Planners Expect Record-Breaking Year

Volunteers painted downtown Farmington purple Saturday, as part of an effort to create awareness for Farmington/Farmington Hills Relay for Life, held May 18-19 in Shiawassee Park to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

In addition to ribbons tied on light poles, they posted flyers and gave out information from a booth at the Farmington Farmers and Artisans Market. 

“This is the second time we’re doing this,” organizer Pilar Hagey said. “When we did it last year, between us being out and seeing people and the media coverage … more people heard about the event.” 

That’s important, because teams continue fundraising during the Relay, from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday, with sales and other activities at their campsites. The public is invited to participate.

There will also be entertainment by local bands, and a pancake breakfast Sunday morning, hosted by the Farmington Elks lodge. 

“It’s been a goal-breaking year for us so far,” Hagey said. “Our team goal was 31, and we have 34. Our financial goal is $87,000 and we have over $72,000. This time last year, we were at maybe $30,000.” 

Momentum has carried forward from last year, she added, with events like spaghetti dinners and last weekend’s Relay for Fun fundraiser at Zap Zone in Farmington.

“The teams are excited, they’re motivated and they’ve done some creative fundraisers,” Hagey said. 

Tea Party Benefits American Cancer Society

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Tea Party Benefits American Cancer Society

All content © Copyright 2000 – 2013, WorldNow and WAND. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Terms

Relay For Life set for Livingston – Merced Sun

Last year, the Livingston event raised $54,918.

The money is put toward cancer research, education, patient service programs and advocacy.

Event coordinators are looking for community volunteers in the Livingston and Delhi area to help with different aspects of the event, including fund raising, sponsorship, publicity and team development.

Officials said they also need volunteers to help on the day of the event.

The American Cancer Society said Relay For Life events give communities across the globe a chance to “celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.”

In 2011, more than 5,100 communities nationwide hosted a Relay For Life event, according to cancer.org.

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/livingstonca or call volunteer event chair Sandra Betschart at (209) 761-4505.

Reporter Ramona Giwargis can be reached at (209) 385-2477 or rgiwargis@mercedsunstar.com.

Relay for Life set for Livingston – Merced Sun

Event coordinators are also looking for community volunteers in the Livingston and Delhi area to help with different aspects of the event, including fundraising, sponsorship, publicity and team development.

Officials said they are also looking for volunteers to help on the day of the event.

According to the American Cancer Society, the Relay For Life events give communities across the globe a chance to “celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.”

In 2005, more than 4,300 communities nationwide hosted a Relay For Life event.

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/livingstonca or call volunteer event chair Sandra Betschart at (209) 761-4505.

Reporter Ramona Giwargis can be reached at (209) 385-2477 or rgiwargis@mercedsunstar.com.

Relay for Life gears up

Relay for Life of Dickson County will hold a team-building rally on Jan. 15 at Horizon Medical Center that marks a call for teams for the annual summer walk-a-thon each summer. The theme for this year’s Relay is “Stick a Boot in Cancer.” The event will be held June 7 at Dickson County High School’s track with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

Though the kick-off was in September, the event’s coordinators are holding an extra event sponsored by Relay’s committee so people or organizations can show up, get information and sign up. They can also sign up and/or donate online at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY13MS?pg=entryfr_id=51498.

Kelly Stephens, director of Relay for Life,Dickson County, said she wanted to make a concerted effort to up the ante this year and to add awareness about Relay. Stephens said she found that pre-holiday events were less-well attended, so the committee decides to hold one after people decompressed from the holidays.

“A lot people don’t get going until after the holidays, so we decided to call this a rally to try and send out some enthusiasm to try and get some more teams,” Stephens said. “We want to encourage new teams, old teams or individuals that want to help to come join us and feel the excitement as we round up teams for 2013. There will be a wealth of information for everyone including door prizes and refreshments.”

This year, said Stephens, they wanted to reach their goal of $145,000 and about 45 teams.

“We really want to get back to where we used to be…and I know we can do it,” Stephens added.

So far, local organizations who have joined up are: Banking on a Cure-Tristar; Cancer is the Pits; Crazy Band Boosters; Freeze out Cancer; Girl’s Nite Out!; New Life Lodge Crusaders; Peyton’s Players; Reading Rocks Books; Small Treasures for a Big Cure; Sold on a Cure; Strike Out Cancer; the Bee-Lievers; Traditions First Bank; Tristar Horison; Tumornators; We Need to NoahCure. Country Cure; Bank of Dickson; Brushing Away Cancer; Cancer Bugs Us; Charlotte 37036; Col’s Corps; Dickson County Sheriff’s Office; Kellie’s Cruisin’ for a Cure; News of Hope; Nickels for Nana; St. James AME; Wal-Mart Warm Hearts; Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson.

On Jan. 17, Bowling for Cure will hold a “9 Pin No- Tap Tournament” at Thunder Alley to benefit Relay for Life Dickson County. Entrance fee is $20. Lane sponsorships are available for $100. Sign-up deadline is Jan 11. For more information on the Thunder Alley event, call Kristi Greet at (615) 210-5318

The committee will also host a celebrity luncheon in April and a wine tasting in May.

Those interesting in starting a team should call 615-681-8197 or Kelly Stephens at 615-519-6188. The committee holds team captain meetings every third Tuesday at Horizon Medical at the third floor conference room.

Foster City’s First Ever Relay for Life Exceeds All Goals

For their inaugural event, the Foster City Relay for Life event coordinators set some pretty ambitious goals, such as organizing 20 teams and raising a whopping $30,000.

However, despite being just a “baby,” as the American Cancer Society likes to call first-timers, Foster City truly put itself on the map by reaching al of its goals, and even surpassing some.

As the event dawned, there were indeed 20 teams registered to participate, and the fundraising goal of $30,000 had already been reached. 

The funds continued to come in through team fundraising activities at the event, and even after the closing ceremonies. 

Impressively, Foster City’s fundraising total ended up at over $48,000.

“The weekend was an amazing show of community involvement and support,” city represenatives said in a press release after the event.  

Saturday activities included exercise classes, live bands, a bounce house, henna tattoos, and a lot of educational materials about cancer and cancer prevention.

“This event would not have been possible without the support of many companies and individuals,” representatives said as they recognized many of the event’s biggest supporters:

• Event Chair and Vice Mayor, Pam Frisella - Emcee for the event and on-site support
• All of the Organizing Committee Members - For hours of pre-event meetings and planning
• The Manor Association - Survivorship Chair and event coordination
• Bayshore Ambulance - On-site 24-hour first aid and support
• Life Technologies - Financial sponsorship and speaker David Daly at the closing ceremony
• The Foster City Lions Club - Providing dinner for the participants
• Z Ultimate Self-Defense Studios - In-kind donations of raffle prizes
• Foster City Fire Fighters Association - Financial sponsorship
• Peninsula Jewish Community Center - Luminaria Chair
• CAI Bay Area Central CA Chapter - In-kind support
• Foster City Parks Recreation - Assistance with event coordination
• Starbucks - Volunteer team assisted with serving dinner and setting up the Luminaria bags/event
• Foods Co. - Donation of fruit, water and granola bars for the participants
• Playhouse Project /Habitat for Humanity - Donation of children’s playhouse for raffle prize
• Hear The Call Music – Otis Coen - Providing sound equipment, DJ’ing and support
• Local Boy Scout Troup #47 – Event set-up and tear-down
• Noah’s Bagels - Donation of bagels for participants on Saturday morning
• Foster City Flower Gifts - Donation of long-stemmed red rose for Survivor participants
• Loral Landscaping - Pre-event logistics

Plans are already underway for the 2013 Foster City Relay for Life. All are welcome and encouraged to get involved and participate.  Contact Marah Curry at (650) 573-7600 or via e-mail at mcurry@fostercitychamber.com.

For the latest in Foster City volunteer and event news such as this, follow us! And don’t forget to sign up for our daily e-newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox each morning.

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‘Cram the Van’ to benefit two causes this week

Starting Wednesday, North Platte area residents will have the chance to help two important causes – both at the same time.

Relay for Life of Lincoln County will be holding the second annual “Cram the Van” event from Wednesday through Friday. Canned food items will be collected on each day to be used at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event.

Relay for Life is a 12-hour overnight walk to show support for cancer patients and to raise money for the ACS. It will take place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, at Adams Middle School.

Each day, Cram the Van will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Wednesday, it will be at Walmart at 1401 S. Dewey St., on Thursday at Gary’s Super Foods at 1620 East 4th St., and on Friday at Sun Mart at 1921 West A Street. Following Relay for Life, the cans will be donated to area food pantries.

Kirsten Parker, one of the event’s coordinators, said the goal is to collect between 1,000 and 1,500 cans.

“In previous years, sand was used to hold the luminarias down,” Parker said. “With the flooding of last year we were worried about sand supply and looked for alternatives and canned goods is what we came up with. It worked so well and it helped the low [supplies] of the food pantry, so we decided to do it again.”

Based on the success of last year’s Cram the Van, Parker views the event as “a win-win situation.”

“Members of the community stopped by and dropped of a can or two and together we were all able to raise enough cans for the ceremony,” she said. “The food banks are always looking for non-perishable canned food items. Veggies, fruit, canned meat, soup, etc., are always a need for our local food shelves.”

Gary Suhr, owner of Gary’s Super Foods, is excited about his store’s participation in the drive.

“We feel that Relay for Life is a very important event in North Platte, and we’re excited to be able to contribute,” he said.

Parker added Relay for Life has taken place in Lincoln County for over 25 years. For more information or to volunteer, contact Parker during the daytime at 308-535-6372 or at 308-539-3546. For more information about Relay for Life visit, www.relayforlife.org.

Relay for life to paint the town purple for 2012 Relay for Life

The Fulton County Relay For Life 2012 is coming up on Friday, June 8, and the Relay Committee is working hard to gain recognition for the cause with plans to “Paint the Town Purple” during that week. They ask that everyone in Fulton County, and especially the City of Salem, display anything they can find that is PURPLE — signs, ribbons, or balloons in your yard or business locations.

The Fulton County goal this year is $35,000, but we hope to surpass that.

Carnival for a Cure is our theme and there will be plenty of carnival games, yummy carnival-themed foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, cotton candy, funnel cakes, caramel apples, corn dogs and BBQ sandwiches, the FNBC train will be offering rides for the kids and there will be excellent entertainment to be enjoyed by everyone.

13 teams will have campsites set up to entice American Cancer Society supporters to purchase items and play games to raise money for cancer research.

Come play Minute to Win It with the Fulton County Rockers, go on a Scavenger Hunt with Areawide Media, check out the Magic 8-ball of Destiny at the FNBC Fortune Teller booth and enjoy an evening of fun and fundraising for the entire family as we fight to celebrate more birthdays!

A Survivor Banquet, open to all area cancer survivors, will be hosted by one of our teams, Linda Inc., at the Salem Church of Christ at 4 p.m. on the 8th, and Relay Laps will begin at 6 p.m. on the baseball field.

A silent auction will have many items displayed for bidding, with winners announced at 10 p.m. Items for the silent auction are still being accepted – just drop them off at any of Areawide Media’s locations in Thayer, Salem or Highland.

A Luminaria Ceremony will take place at 9 p.m., with luminarias available for purchase, to honor or remember a loved one, up until 8:15 p.m. for $5. This is a very special moment during our Relay – a time to honor those who have fought cancer and won, who are currently fighting, and to remember those who lost their fight.

For further information about Relay activities or to make a donation, please contact Committee Chairman Niki de Soto at 870-895-3207.

Great White Tail Run

Great White Tail Run

SKAMOKAWA — The 28th annual Great White Tail Run takes place on May 19 at the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge in Skamokawa, starting at 10 a.m.

  The course is a 10k, 5k and 2 mile with award recognition for overall female and male winners in each event.  There will be ribbons for the top three finishers in each age division.

  Packet pickup and day of registration starts at 8:30 a.m., at the Skamokawa Vista Park. Registration fees are: $10 without shirt (pre run), $20 with a shirt (pre run)  and $12 w/out shirt ( run day) and $25 with a shirt (run day). A limited supply of shirts will be available for day of registering and mail in entries need to be received by May 16th. There is a family or youth group discount, with the first two entries of immediate family/group regular price and each additional entry $3.00 off regular price. 

  Add a $1 if you are bringing your dog and want to compete for awards in this division.  Official dog rules allow socialized dogs at least 6 months of age with  current vaccinations. Dogs must be on a leash at all times and stay on the designated run course. Event officials reserve the right to refuse entry to any dog whose health or behavior could be dangerous.

  This is a fundraising event for the Wahkiakum 4-H program and all proceeds will be used to benefit the county program.

  For more information, please call 360-465-2275 or 360-795-3278. You may also email carol.ervest@gmail.com

Relay For Life – Fighting for a Cure

LONG BEACH — This summer the Long Beach Peninsula community will continue their fight against cancer during the 2012 Relay For Life (RFL) event scheduled for Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30 at the Ilwaco High School track. Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society’s signature event, offers everyone an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. RFL represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

“Relay For Life is all about our community uniting with the American Cancer Society and supporting its efforts to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.” said Christa Oroczo, co-chair of the Long Beach Peninsula event. “Volunteers and participants who are willing to give their time and energy to this exciting event are making a commitment to those who have survived or are fighting cancer at this time. Together we can make a difference.”

RFL provides many opportunities to get involved as a team member, a team captain, a planning committee member, a survivor, a caregiver, a sponsor, etc. Teams typically consist of 8 to 15 people who camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track. Volunteers are always needed before, during, and after the event. It’s a great way to meet people and a great way to see how Relay works, including the planning that goes into these life-changing events. All fundraising is done before the event. Numerous opportunities are available to help raise money for cancer research and resources.

The event will officially begin at 7 p.m., Friday, June 29, during a special victory lap honoring those who have survived cancer. Another highlight of the evening is a candlelight luminaria ceremony to honor cancer survivors and remember those for whom the cure did not come soon enough. Participants will also enjoy entertainment, food, and cancer awareness education throughout the event.

This year, the Relay For Life of the Long Beach Peninsula will be held at the Ilwaco High School track beginning at 4 p.m. on June 29 and ending at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30. For more information visit the Facebook Relay For Life of Long Beach Washington page, or go to www.relayforlife.org, enter 98631 to find our local event information. You may also make a donation online on this same website.

Monte Carlo Night a fundraiser for Boys Girls Club

LONG BEACH — Place your bets on the Boys and Girls Club of the Long Beach Peninsula and everyone wins at Monte Carlo night set for June 12 at the Lost Roo in Long Beach. This is the perfect venue for this themed event: Tapas Margaritas. Professional event coordinators Team Casino will ensure that the evening is filled with the most exciting gaming opportunities, like Texas Hold’em, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, and many more. Their friendly staff dressed in black ties and tuxedo vests will keep the gaming action going until 10 p.m. Admission tickets are $50 each and $100 for Texas Hold’em. Your ticket purchase includes one free drink, a tapas bar and $25 in scrip to play gaming tables (blackjack, craps, roulette).

Doors open at 5 p.m. To add to the fun, they have added drawings for special baskets donated by local businesses, a 50/50 raffle, plus another for a big screen TV. Gaming prizes include the chance to win BIG at Texas Hold’em – a total of $1,000! Admission tickets are on sale at the Boys Girls Club Administration office at the Black Lake Community Center in Ilwaco (the old Ilwaco High School). Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are tax deductible, and all participation will help support the only rural club left in the nation — and the smallest! For more information please call 642-8668 or visit the website at boysgirlsclub@centurytel.net.