Some Relays are good, some are great, but every once in a while you see one that is out of this world! To me that describes the Relay For Life of Saint Louis City . From the giant American flag hanging between two fire department ladder trucks, to the impeccable facilities at Saint Louis University High School, to the on-site fund-raising, to the passionate volunteers, it was an event to be proud of! Event Chair Alan Nehring assembled an incredible committee that embodied what Relay is all about.

You ever walk into an event and it just feels good! That is how I would describe the Relay For Life of Saint Peters in the Eastern Missouri Region. People were having fun, things were running smooth and the conversation with volunteers and staff was upbeat. Both events I attended this past Friday had great staff participation. Craig Boring, RVP for the region participated on his church team along with his three daughters and wife. And community manager Ben Layman's wife left the confines of downtown St. Louis to camp out at the event. I think it is a wonderful tribute to our staff and their families that so many participate on teams all across the High Plains. There is not another organization out there that has the quality of volunteers and staff that we have at the American Cancer Society! Speaking of which, thanks to Tiffany Bentley, event chair for doing a fantastic job organizing the event which will raise more than $67,000! Congratulations Saint Peters on a great community event!

On June 8, I had the opportunity to attend an absolutely wonderful event in Lawrence, Kansas, home of the University of Kansas.  The weather could not have been more perfect nor could the event!  Co-Chairs Tina Yates and Debbie Bott (featured in this photo with staff partner, Stacie Schroeder) had all the bases covered. Lots of survivors, on-site activities, good food, and fantastic teams that raised big bucks.  All told $175,000!! I had the opportunity to meet their top fundraiser Bob Silipigni.  Bob raised his money the old fashion way.  Bob went door-to-door and raised more than $15,000!  It goes to show that some things never change; dedication, hard work and personal touch will always show results. Here you can see Stacie with other Division Staff, Neil Robertson, vice president of grassroots development, and Tekia Thompson, director of communications for Relay who came out to support this event. Thanks again to Tina, Debbie and staff partner Stacie Schroeder. You have set the bar high for Relays in Kansas!

On June 1, as thunderstorms and lightning threatened the Relay For Life of DeSoto, Kansas, the event chair having cancelled the event two years earlier was prepared. It was moved indoors to the local community center. Cindy Williams a 2006-2007 Hero of Hope got it started with her inspirational story during the opening ceremony. There was no mistaking the Relay spirit, even with a makeshift track. The gym was packed, the music was loud, and everyone was having a good time.  They also get my award for the best and largest rice krispy treats!

They initially reported being short of their goal, but a week later they reached it!  This small community raised $40,000!  Congratulations to Rita Jones, event chair and Kala Glass, community manager for not quitting and for turning what was an initial DNG event into a goal setting event!  Pictured from left to right are Rita, Cindy and Kala.

Sharing the Power of Purple,
Randy Linduff
Chief Staff Officer, Field Operations

Well I can now say I have Relayed on an island and no that would not be Hawaii, but Galveston! And what an event it was, doubling its income from last year and bringing the Relay magic back to that beautiful community. This year they changed their location to Moody Gardens and what an interesting change it was.  For the first time in my career I saw an event staged in a parking lot! The track was outlined by orange cones and there was no worry of mud! 

Real estate may be about location, location, location, but Relay is about people, people, people! And the success factor of this Relay was no different. Great people who provide great volunteer leadership. Event Chair Christy Taylor relays because of her grandmother and Co-Chair Lisa Valasquez, lost her husband to cancer and now stands herself as a cancer survivor. These two truly brought energy and excitement to the Galveston event. Congratulations to Galveston and staff partner Danielle Soria-Orozco for a terrific event!