Relay for Life Roseville gears up for kickoff fundraiser

By Robin Ruehlen
C & G Staff Writer

ROSEVILLE — Cancer doesn’t sleep, and for that reason, Eastpointe resident Kathy Smith is determined that on June 5, she won’t either.

Smith, a cancer survivor and mission chair for Relay for Life Roseville, is hoping the community will turn out to support local teams at the upcoming Relay Kickoff Party on March 23.  Although the actual Relay for Life is still three months away, the Kickoff Party serves to raise awareness and funds for the event itself, and encourage community participation in the 24-hour walking event.

“My team has five members already, and our goal is to have someone walking the track for the entire 24 hours,” Smith said.

“We want to keep moving and motivate all the other teams to do the same. Cancer doesn’t sleep, so neither will we.”

American Cancer Society spokeswoman Chiara Clayton said the Relay for Life is the signature event of the ACS, where teams of families, friends and co-workers camp out overnight and take turns walking a track. Participants and visitors also celebrate with a Survivors Lap and hold a Luminaria Ceremony to remember those who lost their battle with the disease.

Smith, an Eastpointe resident who was raised in Roseville, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in August of 2008. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she later had to have part of her kidney removed in October 2009 as well.

“It’s all gone now, and my doctor says that in four years, I’ll be officially cancer-free,” she said.

“I wasn’t even aware there was a Roseville Relay for Life, or what it was before I had cancer. I’m not a terminal patient, but I was Stage II, and something like that definitely makes you more aware.”

Since her diagnosis, Smith and her husband Jeff have worked diligently to raise awareness and funds for Relay in the Roseville and Eastpointe communities.

“It’s amazing how many businesses and residents aren’t even aware that we have a Relay,” she said.

Relay for Life was started in Tacoma, Wash. in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon who walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Now, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 cities across the United States and 20 countries walk each year in the Relay.

The ACS expected more than 1.4 million new cases of cancer to be diagnosed in 2009. Over 560,000 were predicted to die of cancer in 2009 – more than 1,500 people per day. 

The Relay for Life of Roseville Kickoff Party will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 23 at the Roseville Masonic Center, 27151 Gratiot. The event is free, but attendees are asked to RSVP to (248) 663-3420 by March 16.

The 2010 Relay for Life of Roseville will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 a.m. June 5-6 at Veteran’s Memorial Park. For more information on how to get involved, contact Chiara Clayton at (248) 663-3420 or chiara.clayton@cancer.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Robin Ruehlen at rruehlen@candgnews.com or (586) 279-1105.