Volunteer leaders needed for relay

The American Cancer Society has been an active member of Crow Wing County for many years offering a number of patient and family services, cancer support groups, tobacco control programs and lifesaving research. We continue our mission, thanks to the generous volunteers and dedicated staff.

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a community event in every sense of the word. It is a chance for the community to come together for one common cause. Being a part of Relay For Life means I'm a part of a national grassroots movement to fight cancer. Being a Relay For Life volunteer means I'm making life better for cancer survivors, patients and their families.

But we are faced with a critical shortage of volunteer leaders. With the challenges of our day-to-day demands, time has become a premium and many people are finding it more difficult to participate in community services. It is because of the volunteers who preceded us, however, that certain types of cancer are now highly treatable or even curable. With more help, we will continue to win the war.

The American Cancer Society needs your help now. Plans are under way for the Relay for Life of Crow Wing County, held at Don Adamson Field in Brainerd on July 29, to support cutting-edge cancer research, help provide free transportation to hospitals, help prevent youth smoking, publish lifesaving literature and develop a new generation of weapons to fight cancer.

Now is the time for individuals, families, organizations, schools, religious groups, corporations and small businesses to build a team and join our fight to reduce the burden of cancer across America. Relay For Life can be the site of a company picnic or family gathering while supporting a great cause.

To sign up to participate or learn how you can volunteer for other patient services, call (218) 829-6212 or visit us on the web at www.cancer.org.

KAREN OWEN is Relay For Life chair, Crow Wing County, and is co-owner and loan officer for MidAmerica Mortgage Corp. in Baxter.