It's more than a Relay -- it's a marathon

For the most part, it’s a blip on the calendar.

                The annual Relay for Life.  The annual fund raiser for the American Cancer Society brings together students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson High Schools in a civic activity – to raise money for the fight against cancer.

                This year’s event starts tonight and so far there are 22 teams with 117 participants that have raised just over $36,000 for cancer research.

                Not bad.  Many communities embrace the Relay for Life and turn out in force.  In the past, for example, the city of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, a community of around 12,000 has raised in excess of $300,000 during its Relay.  It’s a community event up there on the banks of the Rock River that gets the Relay going.

                The Buffalo Grove Relay for Life, which starts at 7 p.m., alternates between Buffalo Grove and Stevenson High School’s.  This year it will be at Stevenson.

                If you have never attended a Relay you’re missing not just an event, but a wake-up call as to the breadth of impact cancer has on people.  Yes, we have all heard to the stories and may even have had a family member impacted by cancer.

                Memories are shared and when a direct mail solicitation arrives in the mail, we drop a check in and fire it back.

                However, for some people, the fight against cancer and raising money for cancer research takes more than that.
                 As noted, there will be 22 teams raising money at this year’s Relay for Life.  One is from the village. The team consists of various village officials and staff who donate and participate in the event.

                It’s the team captains that captivate me.  A village employee and a trustee.

                Jennifer Maltas is Deputy Village Manager and Jeff Berman is a Village Board Member.  Working on the Relay is not part of their village job or role on the Board.  It’s something they feel compelled to do.

                For personal – very personal – reasons.  Why?  Here are their stories.

Jennifer Maltas 

                 I began Relaying with my family in 2004 after my mom’s breast cancer spread to her lungs and liver. She was diagnosed when she was 47, I was 17, and my brothers were 16 and 10.   

Jennifer Maltas

We have been Relaying as a family (dad, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles) ever since and together as a family have raised $215,000 for the American Cancer Society. My mom lost her battle to cancer five years ago, June 5th.  Two of her sisters were also diagnosed with cancer.  My Aunt Claudia is currently battling a very aggressive uterine cancer that will ultimately take her life.  I have lost friends and family to the disease and I will Relay until there is a cure.

                When I was working for the Village of Deerfield I was approached by the American Cancer Society staff to run what was then the Relay For Life of Deerfield/Highland Park.  After that event, I was then asked to join the volunteer leadership team out of the Lincolnshire offices which assists with the 28 Relays on the North Shore, in Lake County, and the Northwest Suburbs.  This includes the Relay For Life of Buffalo Grove/Stevenson.  When I was hired as the Deputy Village Manager in Buffalo Grove, I was so happy to see the amazing involvement of the Buffalo Grove Village Board, specifically Jeff Berman, in supporting the Relay.  Since I was hired I have been working with Jeff to assist with team captain duties. 

Jeff Berman

                This Friday will make my seventeenth consecutive year as Captain (or Co-Captain) of the Village’s team for Relay for Life.

Jeff Berman

 I can only say how much I continue to be impressed and inspired by the dedication of our area’s young people who plan, organize and execute this incredible event, year after year, and to the community members who participate. It is truly remarkable. And make no mistake, what they do makes a real difference.

                Forty-one years ago last month, I lost my mother to cancer, just weeks before my own thirteenth birthday. When she was first diagnosed, in the early 1970’s, the form of cancer that claimed her was a virtual death sentence. But, today, the 5-year survival rate for very same form of cancer is estimated to be between 80% up to near 100%. That marked improvement is credited to progress in diagnosing cancer at earlier stages and to advancements in cancer treatment. It hasn’t happened through chance. It is the result of decades of dedicated efforts by researchers, much of whose work is funded through public generosity and specifically from money raised at events such as our Relay.

                And so, it is my great privilege to participate and support the efforts of our community’s young people who are fighting for those who are battling and have battled cancer. It is an honor to be a part of this effort to make a difference in the lives of survivors and those who love them. Each year, together, we help to give life and a voice to the cure that is on the horizon. And that, in a nutshell, is why I relay.

                If you still need a reason to attend or support the relay – just reread Jennifer’s and Jeff’s stories.

                For more information on the Relay for Life, go to:Buffalo Grove / Lincolnshire Relay for Life