On behalf of the committee for Relay For Life of Sumner/Bonney Lake, I would like to thank all those who participated in “Paint the Town Purple” on June 23. Thanks are extended to all those who helped to organize the event, the team members who participated in fundraising on the streets, and those who donated for the cause. Teams took to the streets in both Sumner and Bonney Lake in morning and afternoon shifts to solicit donations. An estimate of over $3,000 was the total amount raised.

I was touched by just the brief comments we received from donors as they stopped on the street to help. Each of us has been touched by cancer in some way. The slogan for Relay is Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back. We want to celebrate those who are winning the battle against cancer, remember those we have lost, and continue to fight back by funding new research.

Those stories out there about how you have been touched by cancer are very powerful. I would like to challenge the community members in Sumner and Bonney Lake to share those stories. If you have a story you are willing to share, please send them to kminton@comcast.net. With your permission, we will post them on the relay Web site at www.relayforlifeofsumnerbonneylake.org and submit them to The Courier-Herald for consideration.

This year’s Relay For Life of Sumner/Bonney Lake will take place at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner, Aug. 7-8. Relay in Sumner/Bonney Lake is no small affair.

So far, more than 60 teams have signed-up to participate. Although this is a great number of participants, the goal is to have 75 teams. If you would like information about forming a team, please contact Mike Rutkosky at 360-897-6359 or rutkoskym@hotmail.com.

To sign up to participate or learn how you can volunteer for other patient services, call 1-800-ACS-2345, or visit www.RelayForLife.org.

Katrina Minton