FLORENCE—The Henshaw Water Droplets, a team for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, will hold its fourth annual Relay for Life Vendor/Craft Show July 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Elks Lodge #997 at 17 Spring St.

The event, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, is free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Food will be available from Foley’s Franks.

Donations for the fair are still being accepted for the drawing to be held at the event.

One of the drawings offers a prize of five passes to Autobahn Indoor Speedway at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley, which is valued at $140. Each pass includes one race and a one-year membership. Tickets for this drawing are $5 and can be purchased during the event or by contacting Jennifer Hayden at tigereyes6905@netzero.com or (413) 824-9998.

“Our team fundraises all year round, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Relay For Life of Hampshire County on June 15 and 16 from 3 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Look Memorial Park in Florence,” said Hayden, the coordinator of the event, captain of team Henshaw Water Droplets and an event leadership team member for Relay For Life of Hampshire County.

Hayden thanked the Elks Lodge #997 for being the presenting sponsor again this year to ensure that every dollar raised will be used to benefit the American Cancer Society.

For more information or to donate, contact Jennifer Hayden or see the event page on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/events/1266971896738194              

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NORTHAMPTON—Join the Purple Run to fight for a cure for cancer on Sunday, April 22 at 10 a.m. at Look Memorial Park in Florence. The event offers a walk, 5K and 10K run components, and pre-registration begins at 9 a.m.

Trophies will be awarded for the top three runners, in eight categories.

A craft fair with over 30 vendors will be held at the event from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. And a photo booth will also be offered so that participants can have a chance for photo opportunities throughout the event.

The annual Purple Run was started in 2012 and has raised over $11,000 for the American Cancer Society; proceeds from this year’s run will go directly to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County in June.

The goal for 2018 is to have 500 runners and walkers take part. Organizers are also looking for sponsors and volunteers to assist.

For more information, to volunteer, or register and get a team discount, contact Tom McCusker at (413)-313-2525 or visit www.purplerun.net.

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NORTHAMPTON—A fundraising workshop for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of the Pioneer Valley will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 14 at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Hall, 10 Hawley St., Northampton.

Lite refreshments will be served and all are welcome to attend this fundraising event, which will offer information and resources to all Relay volunteers in the Valley. Members of new teams, first-time team captains and others who attend will learn some of the easiest and fun fundraisers they and their teammates can do to help them reach their goals for the 2018 Relay For Life season.

They will also be able to connect with vendors who are willing to help Relay teams raise money for the Relay For Life Movement. Vendor meet-and-greets will begin at 6 p.m. The session itself starts at 6:30 p.m., and the round tables and vendor one-on-ones will follow.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/hampshirRFL/.

For more information, contact Tom McCusker at tmccusker@swgao.com.

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A bake sale and craft fair with over 30 vendors will also be held at the event until 1 p.m.

The annual Purple Run was started in 2012 and has raised over $5,000 for the American Cancer Society; proceeds from this year’s run will go directly to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County in June.

The goal for 2017 is to have 500 runners and walkers take part. Organizers are also looking for sponsors and volunteers to assist.

For more information or to register, contact Tom McCusker at (413)-313-2525 or visit http://www.purplerun.net.

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So when I entered the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Hall Parish in Northampton back in February for the kick-off of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, I didn’t quite know what to expect.

What I discovered, besides stories and maple-syrup-covered pancakes, was that not one person—caregiver, survivor, team member, family member, or anyone else—spoke of cancer with fear in their voices.

In fact, Patty Greene of Florence, a longtime member of the event’s organizational committee, took the stage that morning and actually encouraged everyone to speak up about cancer, to use their stories to fight back and raise awareness. “There will be stories of people who Relay to honor, to remember and even share peoples’ own personal battles with cancer,” Patty said. “It is through sharing these stories that we find support, comfort, inspiration, motivation and hope.”

These are the words that pulled at my heartstrings, unaffected for so long.

I was at the kick-off breakfast with two fellow interns at Beetle Press: Molly Ahern and Shannon Grossman. Janice assists with the PR for the annual Relay event, and she assigned us to interview people involved in the event for stories that will be published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, starting this week through June.

In addition to interviewing Patty and taking several dozen photographs, I also perused the tables that lined the perimeter of the room, full of information about how to get involved with Relay. And through writing my story for the Gazette, the first that will run on the Health page, I learned that every story needs to be told.

Like Patty, Janice takes part in Relay by telling peoples’ stories because she thinks raising awareness of the need for increased involvement on all levels—volunteers, caretakers, survivors and donors—will be effective in the long run in helping the American Cancer Society to find a cure.

Relay For Life is a 24-hour event that allows participants to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease. In its first year, the Hampshire County relay raised $24,000; last year, $220,000 was raised, which was $5,000 over the goal.

During relay, teams of participants take turns walking on a temporary track to raise money for cancer research and programs that benefit cancer patients and their families. During kick-off, the idea is not only to begin planning but also to inspire more participation by volunteers, team members and survivors, and to remember those who were lost to the disease and honor those who have survived.

To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit www.relayforlife.org/hampshirecountyma or email hamprelay@gmail.com.

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It was a relay like no other, Tom says. The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County was held June 19 and 20 at Look Park in Florence, raising over $216,000 and meeting this year’s fundraising goal. Numerous family-friendly activities were offered, including live musical performances, cardboard car contests, aerobics and Zumba.

The energy was fueled by many additional highlights, such as presentations by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and Joanne Marqusee, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care.

Janice manages the publicity for relay, and just today she sent out the last press release for the season, announcing that a total of$216,606 was raised and that donations will be accepted through August. Now volunteers such as Tom who have been meeting for months to organize relay, can take a short breather before regrouping to plan Relay 2016.

Relay For Life is a 24-hour fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. During relay, teams of participants take turns walking on a temporary track to raise money for cancer research and programs that benefit cancer patients and their families.

Learn more about the event or donate before Aug. 31.

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The hospital and its staff understand that Cooley Dickinson is part of a larger community, in which patients are also neighbors, friends, and family. Cooley Dickinson is known for its presenting sponsorship of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Hampshire County, and Madelyn Breen, a longtime oncology nurse is seen as the face of Cooley at the event.

Rightfully so. Breen has worked at Cooley Dickinson for over 45 years. Though she officially retired in 2011, Breen continues to work in the hospital’s cancer care program. She still leads the Cooley Crusaders, one of the hospital’s staff-led Relay For Life teams, and she has been involved with the event since its premier season in Hampshire County 18 years ago.

“On a larger scale, because we are a community hospital,” said Breen, “it’s important for us to be involved in community activities. And personally, I have lost people to cancer. The people that I care for, whether they are patients, friends or family, are the inspiration for me to fight and to take part in Relay For Life.”

Cooley Dickinson, like Breen, has been with Hampshire County’s Relay from the beginning.  Its sponsorship and team donations have facilitated a stronger connection with patients and the county’s residents. This year, Cooley Dickinson presented a $10,000 sponsorship to the event.

Janice is proud of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, to which she has strong ties. She worked there for five years in the Marketing Department, and her two daughters and grandson were born there. She is a friend and former colleague of Madelyn and has worked with Madelyn and other leaders of Relay for over five years.

This year, the hospital’s Relay sponsorship comes while the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson is being built.

Avital Carlis became the administrative director of the new cancer center at the end of 2014. Relocating from Jamaica Plain near Boston to Northampton with her family has been long in coming as Carlis worked on the relationship between Cooley Dickinson and Mass General.

“Cooley Dickinson Hospital is right in the center of Northampton. We see ourselves as being a member of the town,” said Carlis. “It’s a lot of what drew me here to Cooley Dickinson. These are not only our patients, but also our neighbors who we might see at the market, or our friends and family who we spend our days with.”

The cancer center is coming after what Carlis describes as a long and happy Mass General Hospital affiliation that Cooley Dickinson has had since 2009. Carlis said that the staff is committed to treating patients with the best care available and its affiliation with Mass General gives them that increased opportunity.

With the affiliation, Carlis said, Cooley Dickinson cancer patients receive the standard of care that they would find at the major hospital in Boston, including the same chemotherapy regimens and genetic counseling. 

“More than anything, we want the cancer center to give the confidence to our community that we’re providing the best care right here at home,” Carlis said. “Patients will have the same access here as they would at a hospital in Boston. They’ll save those four hours driving back and forth every single day.”

This will be Carlis’ first Relay For Life as a member of the Cooley Dickinson community. She said she is looking forward to the event, which will be held June 19 and 20 this year in Look Memorial Park.

“We’ll be there and letting everyone know about the cancer center,” said Carlis. “What it will look like and what it will offer to our current and future patients.”

The community can be sure to see Breen and Carlis, as well as other members of the Cooley Dickinson staff, representing the Cooley Crusaders and other teams as well.

To learn more about Cooley Dickinson Hospital, visit cooley-dickinson.org. To volunteer or donate to Relay For Life, visit www.relayforlife.org/hampshirecountyma or email hamprelay@gmail.com

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The event will also include a 2.5-mile walk. Highlights include professional timing and several different classes of awards. For the first time, the event will also include a vendor/craft fair in front of the Dow Pavilion inside Look Park from 9 a.m. to noon.

To register visit http://www.purplerunforacure.com/. The registration fee is $25 per participant.

Check-in will begin for all walkers and runners at 9 a.m. at Look Park’s Dow Pavilion, with the race launching at 10 a.m. Refreshments and entertainment will be offered.

For more information, please contact race coordinators at info@purplerunforacure.com or (413) 585-1141.

Proceeds from the run/walk/fair will benefit the American Cancer Society via the Relay For Life of Hampshire County.

Held around the globe, the American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an event that allows participants to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease.

This year’s Relay in Hampshire County will be held from 3 p.m. June 19 through 3 p.m. June 20 at Look Memorial Park in Florence. This Relay For Life has raised in its 17 years, over $1.5 million and plans to raise at least $250,000 this year.

For more information about the Relay For Life or to register a team, go to www.relayforlife.org/hampshirecountyma.

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