Deborah Cooney’s Volunteer Story
On this Volunteer Recognition Day I am writing you as a volunteer and as Senior Manager of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. I have worked for the American Cancer Society for a year and a half, but my journey with the ACS started 13 years ago as a volunteer. I first became involved with the Relay For Life out of a sense of gratitude for my daughter’s survival of leukemia. I have remained involved since then because of my intense desire to play my role in the fight against cancer! My daughter is now considered cured and she will graduate from college this May and begin her career in Boston in July. However this story would not be a happy one were in not for research that was funded by the American Cancer Society. It would be nice if my experience with cancer ended with my daughter but like so many other families, we have faced this disease many times with other family members. Like so many other volunteers I recognize that I cannot stop my fight until there is a cure for all cancers. This is why I continue to volunteer with the American Cancer Society by participating in Relay For Life and have raised close to $8,000 so far for the upcoming event in May.
This spring volunteers from across the country will take to the track in over 5,500 Relay For Life events nationwide. In the Sun’s readership area there are several Relay events and the participants of these events will raise over 1 million dollars this year alone. This money will be used for life saving research and patient service programs such as Hope Lodge, Road To Recovery and Look Good Feel Better just to name a few.
Our Relay For Life events make it possible for these programs and research and it is the volunteers that work tirelessly on our planning committees that make the Relay For Life events possible. These volunteers work yearlong to plan Relay For Life events. They work long hours while holding jobs and balancing busy family lives.
Our family of volunteers extends beyond Relay For Life. Whether its walking in our Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, planning our Hope Gala, driving patients to and from treatments, preparing a meal for the patients at Hope Lodge, running a Look Good Feel Better program or helping out with the day to day tasks at our local ACS office, our volunteers are the heart of our organization. I am inspired by their dedication and commitment to the fight against cancer and can honestly say they are the reason I enjoy my job and look forward to going to work every day!
If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved with Relay For Life you can contact me at (856) 616–1651 ext 3116 or visit www.RelayForLife.org to find a Relay near you.
If you are interested in learning about other volunteer opportunities with the American Cancer Society please call our Cherry Hill location at (856) 616–1651.
