Residents run for cure
By Daily Press staff
Santa Monicans this month will rally together for 24 hours to battle cancer.
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an overnight team event that raises awareness of cancer in the community and raises money to fight the disease. Teams are made up of people who will walk or run around a track in shifts. The registration fee is $150 and each team member is encouraged to raise a minimum of $100. Team participants camp out and enjoy music, entertainment and refreshments as well as build team spirit in the fight against cancer.
Organizers say the power of the event relay allows the community to grieve for those who have been lost to cancer and to celebrate the lives of those who have successfully survived. It gives everyone, from the newly diagnosed patient to the caregivers of those who have struggled with the disease, an opportunity to be with others who have been touched by cancer.
The event begins on Saturday, July 23 at 9 a.m. and runs continuously until 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 24. It will be held at Santa Monica College’s Corsair Field, 1900 Pico Blvd.
Leading up to the event, the Daily Press will highlight volunteers’ stories.
Jean McNeil Wyner
Residence: Marina del Rey
Profession: Community and physician liaison, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center
What is your role in the Relay for Life?
“For the first three years I planned and coordinated the opening and closing ceremonies for Relay for Life. I am very excited about now being the chair of the survivor’s activities.”
How did you get involved in Relay for Life?
“I have been involved in all of the four Santa Monica Relay For Life events. Debbie Wright, immediate past president, Los Angeles coastal cities unit of the American Cancer Society and recent ‘Volunteer of the Year’ called me in 2001 and asked me to work on the planning committee for the event. I’ve been active ever since.”
What has been your experience so far?
“This is a wonderful event. Cancer survivors are our inspiration to work hard organizing teams and raising money for this event. After the opening ceremony we invite all cancer survivor’s to walk the first lap of the relay. We try to register as many survivors as we can, as we have a T-shirt for them, as well as a medal when they cross the finish line. We also have a nice breakfast for the survivors in the survivor’s tent. We provide speakers with topics of interest for the survivors and wrap up the activities with a lunch. My goal is to have 100 cancer survivors at the Relay for Life this year. Just imagine 100 cancer survivors walking that victory lap. It will be a wonderful way to start the Relay For Life. So, attention all cancer survivors: Call Jean McNeil Wyner at (310) 319-4471 to register and attend this great event. We will have your T-shirt and medal waiting for you if you will just let us know you will be attending.”
What has been your experience with cancer?
“I have known so many people in business and through networking groups who have struggled with cancer. It is a heart-wrenching experience. Currently, two of my close women friends are cancer survivors and I pray for them everyday. My husband is a cancer survivor of 30 years. My father had prostate cancer and my mother and grandmother had colon cancer. Participating in Relay for Life is a way for me to show my cancer survivor friends just how much I care. Participation makes me feel I am helping to be a part of finding a solution for this disease.”
What would you tell someone about this event that doesn’t know about it?
“Relay for Life is a wonderful uplifting event. You can spend an hour celebrating that you can survive cancer, or you can spend 24 hours in various activities planned for the day and evening. This is a community event, and I enjoy seeing my friends and business acquaintances. It is a great way to catch up on news while walking around the track. Kiwanis and Rotary are participants, have teams and raise money for cancer research. If you attend, I can promise you will see someone you know from the community.”
Why are you involved in this event, and not others that raise money for cancer?
“Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center has always supported the local American Cancer Society events. Relay for Life is fabulous because it is made up of local businesses raising money for their local chapter of the American Cancer Society. It is such a worthy cause and we don’t have to travel a long distance to participate. I would encourage all businesses to become involved in whatever way they can, whether it is organizing teams, being a sponsor, providing food or entertainment or donating an item for the silent auction.”
(For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at (310) 348-0356 or www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/santamonica)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 7, 2005. Read the original PDF.