The cynical optimist

Hey everyone,

This June I will be doing Relay For Life and I’ve been trying to fundraise through online donations for several months and have met with no success.

I’ve tried to explain what Relay For Life is and where the money goes over on my Twitter account but character limit makes that a little difficult.

So if you all don’t mind I’m going to try my best to explain what it is and why I am doing it here:

Relay For Life is an all day event in which hundreds, sometimes thousands (depending on which relay you attend) of people gather to raise money to help fund research into a cure for cancer. We stay up late into the night walking the track, we pause to honor those who have died, and we celebrate those who have survived. All the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.

For most of us who participate this is not a one night event. This is how we spend our year. Coming up with/participating in fundraisers to help out in a cause we believe in.

This cause matters to us because unfortunately just about everyone’s life is touched by a cancer diagnosis whether it is our own or somebody we love’s.

For me it is somebody I loved. My grandmother passed away because of cancer. I also had a good friend diagnosed with bladder cancer at 22. This is my way of doing what I can to help.

My team consists of 7 people which is small. Some teams in our relay have 100 people.

This year we set a lofty goal for ourselves. We want to raise 3,000 dollars. We have come close in the past but this year has been a bit of a struggle and we will probably not be able to reach our goal without your help.

We do want to lead with hope and love however, so we have chosen a theme for our team that we believe does that. Our team honors the arts. Theater in particular. We know that battling cancer is hard. We know that battling cancer can make you feel alone. We also know that theater can take your mind off the pain for a few hours, It can also show you that you are not alone.

We believe in the arts, We believe in love and hope. We believe in a world where there is a cure for cancer.

I’ll end with the message our team and I fully believe Relay For Life tries to get across:

If you are currently battling cancer: You are not alone; you are loved.

If you are a survivor of cancer: You are not alone; you are loved.

If you are someone who has lost a loved one to cancer: You are not alone; you are loved.

In general no matter what is going on in your life, in darkness and in light: You are not alone; you are loved.

For more about the American Cancer Society this is the link: https://www.cancer.org/about-us.html

To donate to my team this is the link: https://bit.ly/2Y0WZCT

If you cannot donate, please spread the word…Help us reach our goal!