Poland plans Relay for Life

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

The 1980s cover band Edison’s Medicine will perform at event.

POLAND — Cancer has changed the way Kari Howell looks at life.

“My dad was diagnosed in August 2005 with pancreatic cancer and by February of 2006, he was gone. And it was horrid what he went through to treat it,” Howell said. “Cancer has affected my life in a big way and changed who I was.”

Now Howell has reached out to others who have been affected by cancer by helping to plan, and participating in, the first Relay for Life in Poland.

Relay for Life is a 24-hour event where volunteers form teams and raise money to donate to the American Cancer Society. A makeshift track for the Poland Relay walkers will be set up at the Knights of Columbus on Center Road in the township from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I went to the Springfield Relay for Life last year, and the Boardman Relay the year before that, and I realized that it’s really a community event,” said John Whitinger, chairman of Poland’s Relay.

There are multiple Relays in most counties across the country because cancer survivors are more likely to attend a Relay that is in their hometown, so adding a Poland Relay makes sense, he said.

Whitinger himself is a cancer survivor. Three ago, doctors removed most of the tumor in his brain.

“I have two years left before my rate of survival goes sky high,” said Whitinger, referring to the fact that most cancer patients are officially termed survivors once five years pass with no cancer growth or reappearance.

It was while researching his cancer diagnosis that Whitinger first came across the American Cancer Society’s Web site.

“I noticed everyone that I knew was getting some sort of procedure that was developed because the American Cancer Society provided grant money for experimental research or funded one specific doctor,” he said. “This nonprofit is one of the best with money.”

In fact, 77 cents of every $1 raised at Relay for Life goes toward the society’s core mission of providing patient services and increasing advocacy for patient care, said Bridgett Ford, income development coordinator for the American Cancer Society.

Ford was contacted by Whitinger in August 2007, when he first asked about how to put on a Relay for Life.

“It’s amazing to pull this off in this short amount of time,” Whitinger said. “Most of our teams have only been fundraising for two or three months.”

Of the 13 registered teams, one area church is responsible for three of them and has already raised more than $1,300 for the event.

“We’re trying to get everyone involved at the church and we really want to help serve the community,” said Doree Ramun, team coordinator for New Life Assembly of God.

However, it’s not just individuals and churches that are forming teams. Sante Fe Roast Beef and Southwestern Grille has its own Relay team and the local restaurant is catering the survivor’s dinner that will be held Friday evening.

“All of our employees are on the team,” said Jamie Szmara, the restaurant’s manager. “They’ve had a bake sale and car wash and have raised about $400 so far.”

Sante Fe will have a Chinese auction during Relay, while New Life plans to sell glow sticks and raffle off a gas card to raise extra money for the cause.

In addition to on site fundraisers, Relay attendants will be able to see Scrappy, mascot of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Saturday morning, listen to 1980s cover band Edison’s Medicine later at 1 p.m. and compete in the blazin’ wing-eating contest hosted by Buffalo Wild Wings at 3 p.m.

For such a short planning time, it looks to be a packed event and something that will be continued annually, Whitinger said.

“It’s really rewarding to bring a community event to my own community,” he said. “It’s what makes it all worthwhile.”