Be generous this holiday

Thank you, Mat-Su Valley residents, for supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year.

In the spring, my 17-year-old son, Casey, ran a marathon in memory of his brother, Logan, and in honor of a few Valley residents who have cancer. We are grateful for the support our community bestowed upon Casey. There were even donors from other states and other parts of Alaska who heard about his run.

We were truly honored to have so many people help him raise funds. Casey was able to exceed his monetary goal and the money he raised with your help benefited cancer patients and helped fund cancer research.

We also want to thank Hands on Health Care for donating special orthotics for Casey’s tired feet. Greg Miller was very generous in his donation to support Casey. Casey ran the whole way and we are very proud of him for his willingness to help others in memory of his brother, Logan. We know Logan was cheering him on from Heaven and proud of him for sacrificing the time and energy it took to run the race.

The Light the Night Walk was a success this year due to the many people who participated by raising funds, walking in support of a loved one and those who were willing to help us run the event. I send a special thank you to the blood bank staff, Mysti, Amy and Michelle, for doing such a good job organizing this year’s event. We also appreciate Wasilla Mayor Dianne M. Keller for her valuable assistance, KMBQ for its support and on-air time, Dave Reno for blessing us with his music, Subway and Fred Meyer for the food donations, all the volunteers and the agencies and individuals who supported the walk.

We are already planning the 2008 Light the Night Walk and would love to have more committee members on board. We anticipate next year being the best year ever. If you are interested in helping, please contact me at 373-1528. We have one fundraiser going right now. We are selling the fantastic Northern Light Coupon Books, which are loaded with buy-one-get-one-free espressos, dinners, lunches, lift tickets and more for Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula and the Mat-Su Valley. The coupons are good through Oct. 14, 2008, so if you are interested in one, please give me a call. They make nice Christmas presents.

For those who would like to help an Alaska family at Ronald McDonald House while undergoing cancer treatment, you may donate phone cards or postage stamps to the Logan J. Marre Memorial Phone Card Drive. Linda Ressler has donated phone cards every month for the past few years and I know the Alaska residents are very grateful to her.

As we head into our holiday season, let’s remember those who are away from their families due to cancer treatment. I remember how hard it was to be so far from home. We were fortunate enough to have so many friends, family and community members reach out to us during a difficult time. My desire is to give back to the community by helping others in a similar situation. Thanks to generous Alaska residents we have been able to assist others in their times of need.

Thank you for your support.

Kelly Marre

Wasilla