The Relay for Life and the coronavirus
Sheltering in place doesn’t slow cancer. Cancer survivors are at higher risk of illness due to compromised health and their needs for services will always remain. Our community continues to seek information and help they trust. As a result, The American Cancer Society’s 24/7 call center at 1- 800-ACS-2345 (1- 800-227-2345) has had huge call volume increases since the crisis began. Staff reports that 80 percent of these calls are COVID-19 related.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a national, volunteer- driven, organization whose mission is to end cancer. During 2018 ACS provided 480,000 rides to treatment, more than 477,000 nights of free lodging for patients needing treatment away from their homes and answered 1.42 million calls on their 24/7 helpline.
Currently ACS has more than $420 million invested in ongoing cancer research grants. ACS provides the data that sets the types and frequency of tests to discover cancer early. ACS saves lives every day.
The Society is volunteerdriven and relies on its volunteers and community members to help fund the mission of the organization. A core volunteer lead fundraiser of the American Cancer Society is Relay For Life.
Money generated by the over 5,200 events nationwide keeps the work of the Society going. The local effort for funding these vital services is The American Cancer Society Relay For
Life of Mendocino County.
As a public health organization, ACS is committed to the safety of all attendees, staff and volunteers especially those with compromised immune systems and currently battling cancer. Consequently, the Society has suspended in-person ACS events and meetings through June.
Our Event Leadership Team expects this to impact the 23rd annual Mendocino County Relay For Life scheduled for July 1819 at Recreation Grove Park in Willits.
Cancer hasn’t stopped, neither have we. We see these challenges as a fresh chance to bring more lifesaving information to this community and involve more people in the fight against cancer. We’re finding ways to more visibly honor our survivors, better teach awareness of how we can protect ourselves, and publicly celebrate our progress. Our community will respond by stepping up to fund us through this crisis. ACS events bring people together and they will again. Meanwhile, cancer patients are depending on us. COVID-19 must not slow the fight against cancer.
Please help by joining our committed group of volunteers. Your skills, energy and heart are needed and there is a lot of important work to be done. Visit www.relayforlife.org/ mendocinocountyca to learn more about this local event. Please reach out to Larry Olson at 707- 4982328 excel@humboldt1.com or Brieanne Mirjah at 707440-9141 brieanne.mirjah@cancer.org.