For three hours on a recent Tuesday night, the UCA Care Bears took over Pizza Inn on Hogan Road for a good cause.
Team members served drinks, cleaned tables and greeted customers with a smile in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Tips and a percentage of the proceeds from buffet sales were given to UCA Care Bears to be donated toward cancer research. With the support of colleagues, friends and customers, the team was able to raise $436.
The team’s goal is to raise $4,000 this year for Relay For Life.
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease, said Donna Gladwin, a UCA Care Bear team co-captain.
Gladwin got involved in Relay For Life about six years ago when her husband was the event coordinator for Faulkner County.
“Having lost family members to the disease, I relay to honor their memory,” Gladwin said. “My mother-in-law and close friends are survivors. I relay to celebrate their fight and hope that what we do will help others survive and that one day there will be a cure.”
Care Bear co-captain Connie May also became involved with Relay For Life for personal reasons. Her mother died from cancer in 1997. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer and it resurfaced 4 1/2 years later in her colon.
“She was always the health nut, eating the right things, walking five miles a day; someone you would never expect to come down with anything like cancer,” May said. “She knew there was a cure or possibility of remission just around the corner. She said she hoped she could live long enough to see it.”
May’s father also battled cancer twice.
“Thankfully, his was a much more treatable cancer,” she said. “Since both of my parents had cancer, my sister and I both felt very strongly about doing our part to help the American Cancer Society continue its research efforts to find a cure for cancer, and until a cure is found, we wanted to help those with cancer have programs and anything else they need that will make their life a little easier, to continue to give each one hope.”
May, who has been a member of Care Bears since 2005, said she wished more people were informed about Relay For Life and how the money raised can help cancer patients in their communities.
“Of course I’ve been involved for a long time, but it is still amazing to me that after all these years, most people still do not have any idea what Relay For Life is or what it does for so many families,”she said.
Individuals can get involved by joining the UCA Care Bears team or they could start their own team. It takes just 15 members to make a team. Stephanie Ramsey is the Team Development Chair for Faulkner County. Ramsey can be reached at faulknercountyRFL2010@yahoo.com or 329-2259.
The annual Faulkner County Relay For Life is scheduled for April 23 beginning at 6 p.m. through noon, April 24 at Estes Stadium.
Any individual who is a cancer survivor is invited to participate in the Survivors Lap at 6 p.m. on April 23. Relay starts with a Survivors Lap, an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories we’ve achieved over cancer. Sign up with your local team or contact Missy Schrag at mismav@yahoo.com.
Are you a volunteer in the community? Let us know. Send your information to vjenkins@uca.edu.