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

Drivers get belted over Memorial Day

A weekly check of the Buffalo Grove Police Department’s reports yields an array of calls.  From mail boxes being knocked down to neighbors who don’t get along.

                Somewhere Joe Friday is rolling his eyes.

                However, what’s not on the reports are the proactive efforts the men and women in blue do.  In addition to a series of community workshops and crime prevention and bike rodeos, the department is more than a little aggressive in its efforts in enforcing those laws designed to keep motorists safe.

                We’re not talking CPD aggressive, we’re talk safety aggressive.

                As was the case over the Memorial Day weekend when the Buffalo Grove Police 

 participated in a statewide initiative to “click it or ticket”.  The effort was in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which coordinated a “Coast to Coast” seat belt enforcement effort.

                There’s good news and bad for drivers in the village of furry bison.  The bad news is that 50 folks got a paper reminder to start buckling up, a reminder that will cost them.  The good news is that according to Sergeant Anthony Goldstein, who coordinated BG’s effort, the rate of seatbelt compliance in the village is among the highest in the state.

                Goldstein says the goal of the effort is to keep “everyone safe” while traveling in their vehicles.  Enforcement was a combination of checkpoints and “saturation” enforcement, the latter being enforcement by officers while on patrol.

                In a press release distributed by the village, Goldstein noted that “Our law enforcement personnel are proud of the efforts over the Memorial Day period, as we believe we played a role in saving the lives of many Buffalo Grove citizens”

                Goldstein added that “Buckling up is one of the easiest ways to ensure you stay safe during a crash. Those who were not wearing seat belts were ticketed. Our hope is that they realize we do this to remind them that we care about their safety.”

                So what’s ahead?  More enforcement.  Goldstein said the department is planning another seat belt campaign over the July fourth weekend.

                It’s likely that the cops will approach that campaign just as they did the Memorial Day effort. “The ‘Coast to Coast’ effort helped our enforcement team understand the gravity of the situation,” Goldstein said. “As such, we approached seat belt violators with a zero-tolerance mentality.”

                Get the message? Click it or ticket.

The 'hole' truth --- BG cops caught accepting cash

Sad as it may seem, BG’s cops were caught being “on the take” earlier today.

Typical cops.  Give us cash if you want a donut.  Or a mug.  Or a raffle ticket.

You didn’t need a dash cam or a body cam – the take was done in plain sight.

At a time when crime is running rampant and cops are getting thrown under the bus, where are BG’s finest?  Standing on roofs and, dare I say it?  Soliciting.

Who would have thought it would come to this?

But that’s exactly what happened. Fortunately, it was all in the name of charity as members of the Buffalo Grove Police Department spent time at three BG Dunkin’ Donuts to raise money for Special Olympics through its “Cop on the Roof” program.  In addition to taking cash, officers were selling chances to win a variety of prizes while also selling coffee mugs, T-shirts and other items to raise money for Special Olympics.

This year marked an unheralded first – a chance for a copy to actually get on the roof.   Unlike the Dunkin’ Donuts at Arlington Heights and McHenry roads, and at Aptakisic and Weiland roads, the new one at 245 McHenry Road actually has a flat roof that allows people to stand on it.  The other two have pitched roofs that are too hazardous for someone to stand on.

According to information from the village’s website, funds raised benefit the 2016 “Torch Run”, which “..has raised more than $35 million over 30 years while increasing awareness of Special Olympics Illinois athletes and their accomplishments..”

The event ran from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., so if you offer a BG cop cash now, don’t be surprised if you end in a holding cell – which is not a good idea.  The donuts are not as fresh.