The Creston Valley has come together for 10 years to celebrate cancer survivors, remember lives lost to cancer, and commit to fight back against this disease that touches all of us. We are asking for your support to help us make Relay for Life in Creston the absolute best it can be. We want to hear your ideas, share your passion, and bring to the community a unique Creston event. If you’ve ever been involved in the relay in any capacity, or have never been involved but would like to, we want to hear from you.
The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. We fund the best researchers in BC and across the country on all cancers. We are so much more than just research; however, we offer practical and emotional support programs when you need us. But I hope you never need us.
I hope you never need to take advantage of our financial support programs to subsidize expenses incurred as you travel out of area to undergo your cancer treatment. I hope you never find yourself a guest at one of our economical and welcoming patient lodges while away from home for your medical care.
I pray that the summer never comes where you will send your child or grandchild for an action packed, fun filled week for kids with cancer at Camp Goodtimes.
It is my sincere wish that you will never have to call your volunteer support peer, matched through Cancer Connection, in the middle of the night to talk about your diagnosis, treatment, side effects, prognosis or simply your hopes and fears.
And though I hope you never have to call our cancer information service for information on your or a loved one’s cancer diagnosis or treatment, I hope you will call with any cancer related questions you may have. These highly trained specialists provide the most up-to-date information in a way that is easy to understand in more than 100 languages, helping you to make informed decisions about your health.
While I hope you never need us, I ask you to hear us when we say that about half of cancers are preventable, and initiatives to reduce the risk of cancer have the greatest potential to save lives. The Canadian Cancer Society uses public education, health promotion, community action, and advocacy to government to advance cancer prevention — because by preventing cancer in the first place, we all win.
We are able to offer services and supports such as these only through the hard work of our fundraisers and the generosity of our donors. For 10 years the Creston Valley has played host to the Canadian Cancer Society’s largest fundraising event, the Relay for Life. We want to enter into our second decade stronger, bigger and better than the relay that you have come to appreciate. Our goal is elevate the relay from an event to an experience for all who take part. We want more teams, survivors, caregivers and participants, including families and children. We are reinventing and refreshing ourselves with more ceremony, activities and storytelling — more of what you have come to expect from the Relay for Life!
All Creston residents are invited to volunteer to assist with event organization, help out the day of the event, organize a group of friends/family to participate as a team or sponsor someone who is participating. No experience is necessary!
To learn more, contact co-ordinator Betty-Ann Price at 1-800-656-6426 or bprice@bc.cancer.ca.
— BY LORI STEVENSON (Canadian Cancer Society)