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By Times Staff Writer
Published January 20, 2008
Reaching Out
The San Antonio Relay for Life has met the American Cancer Society's PACESETTER Tier II requirements, making it the first Relay in Pasco County to become a Pacesetter Relay.
Requirements for being named a Pacesetter Relay include meeting the Corporate Sponsorship goal of $3,000. Thanks to Sponsorship Chairman Donna Swart, the San Antonio Relay met this goal several weeks before the Dec. 14 deadline.
Corporate Sponsors for the April 12-13 Relay for Life in the San Antonio City Park include San Ann Self Storage and Tampa Bay Resources Hope Sponsors and Lake House Martial Arts School (Survivor Victory Sponsor). Track Marker Sponsors are Swart Family; Thornhill Tire and Auto Care; South Branch Ranch; Roatan Charter; Florida Engineering Solutions; State Farm Insurance of Dade City; Simmons and Beall Inc.; Larkin Construction; and R.A.G.E. (Rattlesnake And Gopher Enthusiasts).
The San Antonio Relay for Life has a goal of $69,000 and 25 teams. Twenty-one teams have already signed up and raised over $7,000 toward the goal. Last year's Relay exceeded the goal of $35,000, raising $62,000 to fight cancer.
The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is the largest not-for-profit fundraising event in the world. Last year the American Cancer Society raised $470-million from special events such as the Relay for Life, the society's highest-grossing major event. Of the charities receiving the highest amount of contributions from special events, the American Cancer Society had the best fundraising efficiency, spending less than 11 cents of every dollar on administrative costs.
For more information about the San Antonio Relay for Life, contact Patty Richter at (352)567-9997 or at richterfp@embarqmail.com or Terri Gude at (352) 585-2181 or at tgude@SACFCU.org
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Bingo for Breast Cancer will be held 6:30 p.m. Friday at Song and Dance, 27221 Foamflower, Wesley Chapel. For $20, participants will be able to play 10 rounds of bingo and have snacks and compete for over $500 in Pampered Chef Prizes while helping fight breast cancer. Participants who pay prior to Jan. 24 will be entered in a special prize drawing and receive a commemorative tote bag. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.
For tickets, call Stacey Janoske at 813-907-8875 or email her at davlynn@tampabay.rr.com
Money raised from this event will go to the Eager Beavers Breast Cancer 3 Day 60 Mile Walk team.
The 2008 walk will be the third walk for the team, which is named for Tiffanie Kellog's mother, Ann Beaver, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2003. For more information go to www.eagerbeavers3day.tripod.com
Breast Cancer 3-Day participants have an opportunity to celebrate survivors of breast cancer and to honor those who lost their lives to the disease, and collectively, have an enormous impact on funding for breast cancer programs. In order to participate, each walker must train for the event and must commit to raising a minimum of $2,200.
Eager Beavers extend thanks to sponsors Song and Dance; The Wesley Chapel News Leader; and JuiceZone.
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Wal-Mart recently presented a $20,000 check to Pasco County Take Stock in Children. The donation, which will be used to help seven Pasco County students attend college, was given during a ceremony at the Land O'Lakes store, 21703 Village Lakes Shopping Center. The ceremony was attended by State Rep. Will Weatherford and Chip Wichmanowski, executive director of Take Stock in Children.
The Take Stock in Children program provides an opportunity for students to make an early commitment for post secondary education. The organization has a proven record of helping low-income children stay out of trouble, graduate from high school, attend college, and become productive citizens.
The Take Stock program provides four-year scholarships to deserving low-income youth who are at risk of not going to college because of their families' financial situation. Seventh-grade students with good grades, good attendance, and good discipline records are invited to apply for these scholarships. Each student who is selected by the executive committee of the Foundation signs a contract, along with his or her parent and school principal, promising to maintain a good school record and to remain drug and crime free.
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Wal-Mart is committed to operating globally and giving back locally. The philosophy is to make the greatest impact on communities by supporting causes that are important to their customers in their own neighborhoods. Wal-Mart strives to be a "store of the community" for all of the communities it serves by helping to provide financial and volunteer support to more than 100,000 charitable and community-focused organizations, and by utilizing stores to provide opportunities for our customers and associates to give back. In Florida, that resulted in more than $19-million given back to local communities in 2006.
For more information on Wal-Mart's foundation and contributions go to www.walmartfoundation.org.
For more information about Take Stock in Children go to www.pascoeducationfoundation.org.
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