Join Relay For Life and help find cure

I would like to take this opportunity to invite Mat-Su residents to attend the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Mat-Su today and tomorrow at the Colony High School track.

Relay For Life is a fun-filled, overnight family event designed to celebrate survivorship and remember loved ones lost to cancer. It’s also an outlet to fight back by raising money for research to find cures and early detection for all types of cancer and to provide funding for programs that benefit cancer patients.

For example, because of the money raised last year’s event, the American Cancer Society hired a quality-of-life manager just for the Mat-Su to ensure that services provided to cancer patients in Anchorage are available here. Those services include programs in which volunteers drive cancer patients from home to their treatment places; qualified cancer patients can receive financial, hotel and airline assistance; college scholarships are available for young cancer survivor students; as well as the Look Good . . . Feel Better® program, free wigs and more.

The American Cancer Society is working to eliminate cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and services. Please help us raise funds to continue the fight against cancer and so Mat-Su residents can receive more services.

The Mat-Su Relay still needs a few small sponsorships that businesses may be able to help with. We are in need of a $500 sponsorship to not play the Tiny Tim song, “Tip Toe Through the Tulips” at 3 a.m. or we play the song over and over very loudly until $500 is raised; $200 for a sound system for singing entertainment; and $100 for the dunk tank. Speaking of the dunk tank, we are looking for community leaders to step up to the plate and be willing to sit at the dunk tank or the pie throw as the last fund-raising event for the relay.

I’d like to thank the major sponsors of this event, as if it wasn’t for them, this event wouldn’t be possible. Our Platinum Sponsors are Frontiersman, KMBQ and Anchorage Daily News.

The Gold Sponsors are Brent H Taylor, MD, LLC, Colony High School, KTUU, Midnight Sun Oncology, Matanuska Telephone Association, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Sojourn, LLC, Susitna Rotary, Tailgaters Sports Bar & Grill and Tesoro.

Our Silver sponsors are Alaska Communication Systems (ACS), Alpine Septic Pumping, Inc., Church On The Rock, Country Cutts, Diversified Tire, Home Depot, Mat-Su Health Foundation, RISE Alaska, Subway of Mat-Su and United Rentals in Wasilla.

The Bronze Sponsors are Alaska Correctional Officers Association, Alaska Waste, Double “D” Entertainment, First National Bank of Alaska, IBEW Local #1547, Knik Towing & Wrecking, Music & Memories, and ViSalus of Mat-Su.

Our Friend of Relay sponsors are Far Country Animal Hospital, H&R Block, Pet Zoo, UAA Mat-Su Student Government.

There are hundreds of businesses and individuals that are making this fundraising event the best yet. On behalf of the Relay For Life of Mat-Su, we all appreciate everyone’s involvement. Every dollar raised gets us closer and closer to a cure!

I hope to see you at the relay or if you are unable to attend, you can donate by going to www.matsurelay.org.

Shawn Osborne is public relations chair for Mat-Su Relay For Life and an MTA PR specialist.