BY EARLENE WARD
SPECIAL TO THE SIERRA STAR
The 5th Annual
American Cancer Society Relay For Life in Eastern Madera County
will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16, at Wasuma Elementary
School in Ahwahnee. The event has been moved from Yosemite High
School this year because of construction on the track.
The first team captain meeting for the event will be held Monday,
January 12, at 6 p.m. at the Oakhurst Medical Group, intersection
of Highway 49 and Junction Drive, Oakhurst. Anyone interested in
forming a team is welcome to attend.
Teams can have up to 24 people. In the past, local schools, churches,
businesses, agencies, youths and families have formed teams.
The 24-hour relay raises funds for the American Cancer Society,
provides educational information about cancer and honors cancer
survivors. Throughout the 24 hours, from 9 a.m. Saturday to 9 a.m.
Sunday, a member of each team is either walking or running the track.
Each team pays a registration fee of $150 and each person on the
team is asked to raise at least $100 through donations.
In 2003, 26 teams in Eastern Madera County raised $110,000. The
goal for 2004 is 32 teams and $115,000.
The American Cancer Society provided services to 181 patients in
Eastern Madera County in 2003 and educated more than 200 people
at the Oakhurst Community Health Fair.
The American Cancer Society provides such services as mileage reimbursement
for trips for medical care, a Look Good Feel Better program for
cancer patients, Reach to Recovery and a support group.
The Eastern Madera County support group for cancer survivors, spouses,
caregivers, family and friends is held every first Wednesday at
6 p.m. at Oakhurst Medical Group. For information, call 1-800-ACS-2345
or 658-6420.
The American Cancer Society has a vision for 2015 to: reduce cancer
incidence by 25 percent, reduce cancer mortality by 50 percent and
to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.
Relay For Life started in 1985 in Tacoma, Washington when Dr. Gordon
Klatt walked around a track for 24 hours. He raised $27,000 for
the American Cancer Society. In 2002, Relay raised $273 million
nationwide. The goal for 2004 is to raise $288 million through Relays
in 3800 communities.
The goal for California for 2004 is for 228 Relays to raise $22.8
million.
For more information about Relay For Life, call event co-chair Janice
Ellis at 683-0968 or event co-chair Lynette Schrank, 683-5066.
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