Events and Activities : Benton County Shelter In Relay For Life: Sunday, June 7th

Benton County Shelter In Relay For Life: Sunday, June 7th

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Benton County, now Shelter in Relay for Life,

will be Sunday, June 7th on National Cancer Survivors Day. With the spread of COVID-19, cancer patients are more vulnerable than ever and in desperate need of our help. Benton County resident Steve Gibney describes his current situation:

"I am in year 15 of cancer survivorship and currently undergoing chemotherapy infusions. Dealing with cancer now has added an additional hurdle of adjusting my life to COVID-19. Because of COVID-19 and the immediate concern of contracting this virus, I am restricted to staying at home with no visitors allowed. I have come to cherish the absolute simple things in life. I miss seeing my children, grandchildren, and friends to socialize with. Window waves, phone calls, emails, and texts, will never replace actual in-person visits. These social restrictions also apply to my wife so that she is not inadvertently exposed to COVID-19 and brings the virus home to me. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has added an additional burden to my cancer treatments by making treatments more complex with lengthy preparation and many extra precautions. So I remain in my house now and for a while yet. Keep the toilet paper coming, as I know there is a lot to be appreciated about good toilet paper. : )"

Cancer patients, survivors, and their families are still in need of the valuable research, programs, and support of the American Cancer Society. In Iowa the American Cancer Society has over two million dollars invested in 6 research grants. Everyone is encouraged to join together on Sunday, June 7th, National Cancer Survivors Day, as we Shelter in Relay for Life of Benton County. Everyone is invited to come together from our homes and neighborhoods across our communities to stand together and fight back. As we Shelter in Relay, we ask that everyone follow social distancing guidelines while supporting the fight against cancer. Here are some ways we can all get involved:

Walk and Make an Impact

**Individuals, families, and teams are encouraged to commit to walking a set amount of time

or miles in honor and in memory of loved ones. (wear Relay shirts from past events!) ** Raise funds and awareness by reaching out and asking people to take part or to

consider donating to your efforts; pledges can be taken for miles or total time walked. **Consider making your own donation; every dollar counts, especially this year!

Celebrate Survivors in Your Life

**Call and/or send cards to special survivors.

**Walk in their honor.

**Take pledges to walk in their honor.

**Create paper ribbons in the particular colors for each specific cancer to hang in

windows or on doors. Use sidewalk chalk to decorate driveways and sidewalks.

Remember and Honor-Outdoor Luminaria Ceremony

**Create your own luminarias and set them on your porches, driveways, and sidewalks

on the evening of Sunday, June 7th.

** Raise funds by creating luminarias for donations.