and thank you for joining us today my guest is stephanie hansen of the american cancer society and we do you are going to be discussing talking about and event that is dear to your heart and to or would you introduce yourself please so my name is stop me i'm from and i'm the community development manager for american cancer society and i oversee the relay for life events in the area which is coming up in been around for a while now started with dr gordy class doing the first relay and with his you know simple idea of running around the track to support cancer patients in treatment and show the world how we really need to unite in this common front as really just how we first got started and we've been a strong force here in the sarasota area i'm really proud to continue that fight this year is going to be out van way is all and it's may ninth sorry on may nineteenth and it's going to be it from noon to eleven pm so it's along of that and i really excited very family f excited to have a new venue this year which is family is all and it's just going to be spectacular so we'll be relaying on the water this year and as you know that many people don't know wall means quite a bit to the survivor yeah and it should mean a lot of family friends caregivers expression caregivers as well at the event we made a huge point to honor survivors and caregivers with their own separate laps and what we consider to be a survivor is someone that could be currently battling cancer could be in remission we look at it as any stage your survivor we want to celebrate life and that's the most important thing to us so we really want to unite the community and one friday on one front and really how everyone's been touched by cancer and with that we have children we have adults we have seniors we have some families with multiple but to support we look at creating well i think that it's rallying behind the people that you know i mean a reality we are all just one degree of separation from someone that's been touched by cancer so i think opening up the dialogue to begin with is really where all begins and just knowing and showing support for one another is really what it comes down to and even if you don't know someone that's been touched by cancer personally we all know that it's out there and i think the most important thing is just recognizing that and wanting to give back to something bigger than ourselves and when it comes to survivors another huge reason that they should come out to the event is i our whole that is based around who they are and what they represent to us in our community and show how much they mean to us we have our survivor dinner or we have a survivor lunch  and it's free for all survivors and we get them survivor t shirts we really want to show them that this is for them and it's about bob and we put out the forefront of our cause and that's what we want people to rally around is the people schools callers were full we can't say enough about both the the t shirt the individuals that come out and how we get them to come out and and be a part of this we have in the past had overnighters and i know the young people really really thrive on being out in the bout doing that overnight event this year we're doing it from  year's relay for so i think with having a new venue it's a little bit hard to completely asked me what we should expect this year but i would say that our personal goal is that we get upwards one certain group it's it's everyone and because it touches everyone and so that's what you want to see and if we have over a thousand then the bigger the better that's what we want and we both can agree to that  fact and the point i know that when we sat and the table preparing ourselves for this year's relay and we look around many of the persons that were there last year of the year lumen aria are our bags that we have decorated either by the individuals themselves up by or by our group of volunteers and it's to commemorate a cer survivor or a loved one that has already passed and or smarts even in remission i wanted to just celebrate anyone that has gone through that fight that battle are currently battling cancer and we put little candles inside the bags and we lined the entire track with it so we put them all at dusk and just light up the track it's supposed to symbolize hope and just the future for all of us it's beautiful i mean magical you have to tap into really experience do you really really do being able to just take that wall many times f amily members are there to help you along you know many times we're looking at the next generation many times we're looking beyond ourselves to the future being done through the american cancer society it's a point to make in this great awareness to the public itself there are many avenues being taishan and there are many dear friend types of persons coming together to do this we have been traveling from office to office business to business today want to join a team i know personally are volunteers they are more than happy to have newcomers on their team and so if you don't have a team that you just want to be involved we'll set you up with those people by more importantly might save the average team sizes probably about fifteen to twenty but doesn't have to be that way it could be two it could be time it could be thirty it could be fifty it's it's coming together to put on fundraisers it's coming together to unite against us common front and to have fun we want everyone to enjoy themselves volunteer ing is not just about coming together as under just one united front for the serious cause even though it is that we want you to enjoy yourselves we want the fund raising to be around the things that you enjoy doing fundraisers can range anywhere from writing letters to loved ones asking for donations or from having bake sales or having sign options there are even some people they have jane days where you pay to wear jeans to work or even to school whatever it might be able and they're great fundraisers people have fine and he gets everyone involved and that's what's most important in and amongst to bring awareness to the cause and that's really that it's probably the most emotional part of the entire ceremony it is the part where we come together we smile we laugh we cry and it is the most  impactful part of the entire ceremony we want people to understand that this is why we're here and if there is one part they are able to make it should definitely be the  the number of people there to interact with the number of people that were able to engage and bring to the front and awareness is just phenomenal we can't say enough about it and our thanks to you and the american cancer society let's go one bit further here when we start talking about this really and we started looking at the teams we are just from the looking to bring government and this time i know that a lot of our work has spanned between city and county government  at the local level we are now stretching ourselves and to even other areas to bring about this awareness and to bring about this team concept is an umbrella you know i guess it's just interesting way of putting it but yeah it definitely is with really for life and that's probably one of the stronger suits of relay is that it's not just one cancer it's all cancer and that's why it's purple that's why we represent purple and that's why we chose fand ways all as being a strategic point within the community and also i mean a beautiful venue but is the purple cow and to be going to be more excited to use it it is supposed to bring everyone together we're not we're not selecting one cancer to put at the forefront even though american cancer society other signature event really is strides which recognizes breast cancer and we're very proud of that as well but we want to recognize all cancers because that's the bigger push is that it's not just one it's all and if you don't address then you're not addressing the real problem and that is the point i really wanted to get us into that this point in time because i don't want to become silos such an important issue especially when it comes to the family when it comes to the drive behind what we're really doing here this really attacks and so the greater the numbers the individuals from breast cancer or any of those cancers are being welcomed to this event as a matter of fact is am i correct yeah absolutely and it's like be said it's it's not a bow picking out who we're going to be celebrating it's about everyone and we want it to stay about everyone it's it's the forefront is that we are here and we want to save lives we want to celebrate lives and more importantly we want to lead the fight against cancer and that's what it all comes that we are on board with you that is for major emigre yeah absolutely and we couldn't be more thrilled to have the city on board our next steps are to get more involved with the county and while our biggest push distance it's for everyone that's here or locally and we want them to know about us and so what better way to go about are to go about spreading the word of what we deal by going through our government officials  going through the systems that we already have some place going through these events that are already in place really to spread the word about the work that we're doing and that it's for that it's you know we're coming together this united front but it's it's to let people know that we have something special to offer them that we have these free programs and services for of the yet we have in the past had a number of different relays throughout the city  the county now this year we're bringing them all together again this is the second year believe that we've done this let's just discuss that because the firm raising effort is critical also and people like to know where the money is going where the funding is going and what happens can you give us some insight on  and services yeah absolutely so our programs and services while we have many i think some of our larger programs would be hope lodge so hope lodge our closest one is in tampa is right near moffit and the concept not concept but really how are rallying behind hope is all about the fact that if you're a cancer patient and you don't have access to treatment here locally not even just here but anywhere but if you're outside that forty mile radius of treat men either first pacific cancer or even just for treatment in general as i you're able to stay at home watch at no cost you are also allowed to bring a caregiver along with you and the average stay is about five weeks but really what it comes down to is one sure able to get into the hope watch is that i you stay for the duration of your treatment so it can be way longer than five weeks that's just what we've seen as that average but it's an amazing program you have your own  it is it's brand new vegas renovated it and we're very proud of it and then and besides the whole plods we also have road to recovery programs so our road to recovery is also free to cancer patients and with that you're able to get free rides to and from your treatment at no cost so you sign up with that and we have volunteers are willing to take you to and from your treatment you sign up and you download this app and they pick you up wherever you are and they'll take you back sometimes leave even had people go as far as tampa and leave either had the same road to recovery driver or we have some that stop and meet halfway to make that trip completely so we're so proud of this because when you're too sick to drive twelve going to drive you a lot of people aren't fortunate enough to have loved that can take off time from work on a regular basis to drive you are too sick to drive yourself so you have such limited options and expression when it comes to financial it can get very expensive fur i'd say most people not it's not geared towards a store in income level it's for anyone and everyone we are here to support them another great program that we have actually here in the office is our look at feel better program and that is geared towards women that are undergoing breast cancer so while their outward appearance is changing and they're understanding how to better take care of their and and how to cope with their hair loss we are here to provide this program where they can common sign up it's once a month that we teach a class with  we also give them a free k which is about two hundred dollars i retail and it's very high quality product so that way they just how the jumpstart to really take the plunge that it doesn't have to be something that is negative it can be has turned into something beautiful and they should feel beautiful it's and i involved we'd love to have and regardless the more the merrier because for us another person becoming involved with the core planning of the vine is still a another person that's able to add that much more value to the fun there's always something to be done and while it's covered and we are a force to be reckoned with there is always room for improvement there's always room for growth so we've all come anyone and everyone that if they're interested in becoming involved with the committee and that we're here for them and we will place them in the best designated role for the moment where we want not just for us to thrive as an event but we want them to thrive as a volunteer i mean want them to utilize their strengths and to be happy and have fun with what they're doing well now as we can all says is there anything in particular you like to bring to the public at this time this past year we're proud to say that in the two thousand and seventeen season we closed out with over two hundred thousand gross and we are looking forward to even stronger and better year we want people to become involved and hope that they are part of this growth and know that we're here for them and we want them to just invite the entire community to be a part of it stephanie and more than happy to ask if you like to come again to do so give me a call and truly appreciate your being with us today for those of you in the audience looking forward to the may nineteen