Hey everyone!!! I'm writing because I need your help!
As many of you may or may not know, my mom's family is from Jersey County and is active in that area's American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event every year. They started shortly after my cousin's 2-year-old died from a form of brain cancer several years ago. One year, my mom convinced me that since I liked staying up late that I would enjoy participating in the overnight event, so I went.
I loved it. It was filled with educational opportunities, fun and games, and most importantly, hope for those struggling with cancer and for those who know people who have been personally affected by it. Look at your own life, and I guarantee you know at least one person who has been diagnosed at some point in his or her life.
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My closest friends (both at school and at home) should know for sure. For those of you at home -- Wasn't it devastating to find out in college that one of us had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma? Wasn't it scary? Didn't you feel helpless? Thank God he's doing better now and let's hope it stays that way, but don't you wish there was something you could have done to help? For those of you at school -- Didn't it scare you to learn that the professor you always joked with about loving "Brokeback Mountain" was having a hard time fighting colon cancer? Again, thank God he fought it and is doing much, much better. I don't know what we'd have done without that guy!!
My point is -- there is something you can do to help fight cancer and possibly prevent this from happening to even more people you know. It's a great way to honor those who have already struggled as well. The best method is through education. By helping with Relay for Life, you can educate others about the causes and symptoms so that we can help people avoid getting cancer or help them get an early diagnosis so they can fight it.
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Over the years I have tried to do a little more for the event than just hang out with my mom's team. With Alpha Sigma Alpha at EIU, I formed three teams for the Charleston/EIU event.
Coming back home, I wanted to get even more involved.
This year, I have volunteered to be on the Jersey County Relay for Life Steering Committee as the Mission/Fight Back chairperson, and I need help gathering a committee of volunteers. Hopefully, THAT'S YOU!
Here is a little about the committee and what we will work to do, from now through the event in May at Illini Middle School.
ABOUT THE MISSION/FIGHT BACK COMMITTEE
This year, cancer education is spreading beyond the Relay event. Formerly, nurses and other medical professionals manned a tent during the event where participants could earn "relay bucks" by educating themselves about cancer. This year, the committee will be on-the-go rather than cooped up in some tent.
Relay participants will fill out pledge cards this year, saying what they, as individuals, plan to do to fight cancer. It will be our committee's job to help people think of ideas or encourage them to think of their own (they can volunteer for a cause, they can help someone who has cancer, they can eat healthier, they can spread the word about cancer awareness, etc.). We will make sure everyone fills the cards out, then we will collect the cards during the event.
We will present educational opportunities to our team captains so they can keep participants informed.
We will plan, prepare and give a Fight Back ceremony during Relay for Life. We must also recruit an area survivor or caretaker to be an inspirational speaker at the event. We must come up with ways to educate people during the event via themed laps, games, etc.
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The idea is that one person can't do much in the fight alone, but that many people doing their own thing really adds up.
I know that many of you are not in Jersey County and/or may not know anything about Jersey County -- but please consider participating with this. It's for a really great cause, and though there are other relay events in Madison County, etc., it doesn't really matter WHERE you help -- as long as you do, you're doing your part to battle this serious disease.
Thanks for listening.
If interested, contact me at laminette.griff@gmail.com.
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