Calling all survivors
Local Relay For Life organizers Suzanne Roberts and Moe Taylor want to invite cancer survivors in the community to be honored and part of the North Fort Myers Relay For Life event, scheduled for May 21 and 22.
“This is all about honoring them; this is why we do this,” Roberts said.
The event will be held at J. Colin English Elementary School, beginning that Friday at 3 p.m., ending at 9 a.m. the next day.
Roberts, a Golden Apple teaching recipient, is also a teacher at the school, and reports that several local schools including J. Colin English will have teams at the event.
They raise funds with fun activities and donations throughout the two days. “More survivors and more teams are welcome,” said American Cancer Society’s Moe Taylor.
He recently attended the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon to promote the event.
“Once someone says you have cancer, you are a survivor,” he said.
“We have lots of exciting things planned this year,” Roberts said. “The event will begin with a live dove release in honor of those who have lost their battle with cancer, followed by an opening lap specifically for cancer survivors. This year it will be really neat. There will be stations around the track at which the survivors will release balloons to honor how many years they will be cancer free. The first station will be for those still in treatment. The next station will be for those who have been cancer free one to three years and so on.”
Survivors do not have to live in North Fort Myers, they said.
“We will also be having a slide show during our candlelit luminary ceremony and are looking for picture of loved ones lost to cancer as well as survivors that are unable to come to the event,” said Roberts.
“We do still need teams and sponsors that can donate at different levels, for the dove release and different stands that remember the survivors’ journey. It’s going to be a great event,” she said.
“We already have 11 teams and are looking for more. Our theme this year is Relay Around the World, along the lines of Epcot, each team picks a country and sells food and decorates their campsite accordingly. For example, we have a team Germany, they will be selling brats.”
How does one start a team? “Gather some friends and donate $100 to Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society. They can choose to have a virtual team, which doesn’t need to be at the event the entire time or a traditional team. Their team would take turns walking the track for the 18 hours and plan a campsite theme and sales items to help them raise money.”
Corporate sponsors can contribute in several ways. First they can make a tax deductible with several different amounts they can give. If a business donates $150, they will receive a track sign at the event. If a business donates $500 or more, they will be a corporate sponsor and have their sign displayed at all Lee County events for 2011 and will be featured in relay programs for the North Fort Myers area.
“They can also donate goods or services to be used at the event or to help raise money at the event. We hold chance drawings and are always looking for more things to put into them.”
Organizational meetings and Survivor Sign-Ups will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 and 17, at Victory Lane Café, located at 4120 Hancock Bridge Pkwy. The meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m.
“We also have live entertainment booked until 1 a.m. including Strange Arrangement, Blackwater, Robb’n the Cradle, the Matt Adkins Band, Hot Flashz, the Calendar Girls, Slow Deal, a dance recital by 4 the Kids School of the Arts, a middle of the night movie, karaoke, a hidden talents competition and all sorts of fun, family friendly activities.”
The public is encouraged to come out and support the event.
For information call 936-1113 or mail to suzannealexis@aol.com.