SAVE THE DATE... Mark your calendar, your Regional Relay Summit will be here before you know it!

Get ready to participate in training workshops designed for your committee position that will inspire, motivate and capture your attention! Make sure your committee splits up to experience all of these breakouts so you can each bring back information to your committee and share ideas learned.

The Regional Relay Summit will be jam packed with Relay resources, understanding your role on the planning committee and discovering new ideas that will boost your Relay event.

SURVIVORS:
The Heart and Sole of Relay!

Each and every relayer has his or her own reason for relaying, but we all have “survivors” in common. It is our desire to see more survivors, to know that every person who hears the words“you have cancer” will not be afraid, but know it is just a pill, a shot or some other treatment that will eliminate the cancer from their body.

Until that day, we relay for those special moments – those moments that highlight why we relay, that let us know that “people don’t care how much we know, but know how much we care.” This moment was defined for Leann Komm, Relay For Life of Vancouver, WA on July 18, 2009 in an email to her relay friends:

I want to share the crowning moment of my Relay experience this year.

While getting coffee at the wonderful all night HOPE Coffee cart, a lady Survivor was speaking to another Survivor about her FIRST Survivor Lap experience.

She said "I didn't know if I could make it all the way around the track because I was so overwhelmed with the cheers and love that I felt." Then, when asked how she felt when one of us put the Survivor Medal around her neck she said "my breath was taken away and I cried because I felt so special!"

When I heard those words I cried and told her she just made my whole Relay year all worth it. I knew that all we go through -- the long hours, the meetings, the people we can't always make happy, the committee squabbles, etc., just don’t matter -- it is all about “the survivors and, the difference we make in their lives.”

American Cancer Society – Relay For Life Cancer Survivor and Caregiver Engagement

The American Cancer Society believes that each individual has the right to define his or her own experience with cancer and considers a cancer survivor to be anyone who defines himself or herself this way, from the time of diagnosis throughout the balance of his or her life. A Caregiver is a family member, friend, loved one, or other support person who lends physical, emotional, or other support to someone throughout the cancer journey.

Relay For Life affords communities a unique opportunity to bring cancer survivors and caregivers together for the purpose of honoring the hope they symbolize in the cancer journey. This allows time to share important program and service information, as well as a means of engaging them in the work of the American Cancer Society year round. The following model assists Relay For Life communities in planning and implementing a strong Survivor/Caregiver Program.

How is this accomplished?
Follow the steps outlined in the HOPE Model – Honor, Opportunity, Provide, Engage.