Hazlet KICKS OFF American Cancer Society's 2nd RELAY FOR LIFE

Happy New Year!  Hard to believe it's January with the warmer temperatures but believe me, as a ex-pat Canadian, I'll take these "winters" over a Canadian  East Coast winter anytime. And no, I don't miss the snow.

The New Year always brings resolutions for many people - get healthy, lose weight, get organized, volunteer more (or less!), get involved...the list goes on.  I like many, have resolved as well and yes, thank you for asking, I'm down almost 6 lbs from January 1st. 

I am also volunteering my time, talent and energy into something very important. Tuesday January 10th marked the 1 year Anniversary of when my father in law passed away from battling colon and liver cancers after 8 years. 

This came just before the 6 month anniversary of when my own father died after being diagnosed with colon cancer 4 months before. My kids lost the 2 of the 3 most important men in their lives in the blink of an eye.

We all have been touched by cancer at one point or another in our lives.  We all have a friend, a family member, an acquaintance or even ourselves who has been diagnosed with a type of cancer.  Thankfully in large part to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), we are celebrating more birthdays for those with cancer than mourning their passings. 

However, people are still being diagnosed and sadly losing their battles. In New Jersey alone in 2011 there was an estimated 16,370 lives that were lost to a form of cancer and 49,080 more lives were diagnosed with a form of cancer (see www.cancer.org/research). This is an illness that needs to continued to be battled through research, support and information. 

So to fulfill my desire to put my volunteer work to good, I have signed on to be a part of the Relay for Life Hazlet planning committee. Our family had a team in last year's event and while we went into the weekend with expectations of just walking for a bit and raising some money, we left feeling uplifted and enthusiastic (after a few hours of sleep) about this year's event. 

My kids felt as though they were making a difference by holding a bake sale to raise money in hopes their friends won't lose their Pop-Pops and Wolifes. 

My mother and mother in law were able to celebrate their husbands with making donations for luminaries to line the Raritan High School track and send messages to them. 

My husband and I were able to support one another and re-assess our health and what is important in life. 

Last year's event was held at the Raritan High School in Hazlet.  It was spearheaded by the enthusiastic teacher, Andrew LaBarbera with the help of Bradley Bennett from the American Cancer Society and MANY volunteers and community leaders. 

Including my family's team, "The Colon Crew," there were 63 registered teams that ranged from 2 people to 15 people.  There were over 500 registered participants which 39 of those registered being Survivors that were honored at the event. 

For being the first time Hazlet held the event, the financial result was fantastic with a $65,000 being the grossed amount raised! 

The American Cancer Society fights cancer on four fronts: Research, Education, Advocacy and provides Patient and Family Services.

Specifically our offices in Shrewsbury and Toms River helped right here in Monmouth and Ocean County by: providing 365 individuals with Wigs and Turbans, giving 850 rides to and from potentially life saving treatments through our volunteer driven Road to Recovery program, providing 145 men with the opportunity to take part in our Man to Man Support Group for Prostate Cancer

During the 18 hour overnight event, we walked, we sang, we danced, we had moments of silence, we laughed, we cried and we celebrated.  There were activities such as "Smash A Car" where we beat up on a car, Laser Tag, bounce houses, a Miss Relay for Life (such a delight to see my husband win the title as Olga!) and heard many entertainers throughout the night. 

This year, we have set the bar higher for an even better and bigger event.  The 2nd Relay for Life Hazlet will be held on Saturday June 2nd thru Sunday June 3rd at Raritan High School.  We want to raise more money, have more teams, more participants and more Survivors to celebrate. 

Teams can be made up with kids, parents, neighbours, friends and family.  You do not need to stay overnight but we encourage it as we have events running the entire time and we want everyone to participate in both the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

Our event begins with a KICK OFF on Wednesday January 25th at 7 pm at the Raritan High School Cafeteria.  We invite those who will be Team Captains and all others who would like to participate and volunteer for the event. This promises to be a fun event and informative for all who attend. 

Watch in the weeks to come for updates of the Kick Off Event and of course the build up for our Relay for Life.

Sadly, some of our neighbouring communities will not be hosting Relay for Life events but we welcome our neighbours from Holmdel, Matawan-Aberdeen, and Keyport to participate.  You don't need fancy t-shirts or corporate sponsors, you just need the desire to participate, a minimum of $25 dollars (hey, it adds up!), and some good sneakers! 

We encourage all who are interested in being a part of the Kick Off and the Relay for Life to follow us on Facebook Relay for Life Hazlet and follow us on Twitter @RFLHazlet. 

Please feel free to contact me or Andrew LaBarbera at labarbera@hazlet.org or, look up Relay for Life at http://www.relayforlife.org/