A
look at the money trail
By
LAURA HAGAN
lhagan@owentonnewsherald.com
A lot
of people are concerned about where the money goes.
With close to $70,000 raised by the efforts of the Owen County
Relay for Life event last year, they should know.
Relay for Life is a nationwide event held by the American Cancer
Society.
Though the venues may be different, each event has a common goal:
to raise money for cancer research.
According to information from ACS, they have “given more
than $3.1 billion to support cancer research since 1946.”
Fund-raising efforts
by Relay for Life teams in Owen County have already begun. Yard
sales, burgoos, silent auctions – these are just some of
the things people are doing to raise money for the event, which
will take place at the Owen County High School football field
on June 8 and 9.
The goal for this year’s Relay is $72,000. Since Relay began
in Owen County in 1998, the county has raised at least $50,000
every year but the first two
.
“The Owen County event has been extremely successful,”
said Deborah Puracchio, Communications and Marketing Specialist
for ACS.
In addition to research efforts, money raised by the Relay event
is used for a number of patient programs and services. While there
is not an ACS office in Owen County, there is one in Fort Mitchell
that serves 12 Northern Kentucky communities, including Owen County.
Services offered in Ft. Mitchell are available to Owen County
cancer patients and their families.
“Even though the office is not in the community, (we want
to) make sure Owen County is served,” Puracchio said.
One of the patient resources offered is a program called “Look
Good...Feel Better” and works to help female cancer patients
learn beauty techniques to help them feel more comfortable with
their appearance during cancer treatments. A “Man to Man”
support group is offered for males suffering from prostate cancer.
The group allows the men to learn more about what they are going
through and offer support to each other.
The “I Can Cope” program deals not only with the patients
but their family members as well. It is designed “to help
cancer patients and their loved ones deal with their cancer experience.”
According to an ACS newsletter, money donated to the Relay for
Life efforts also goes towards gifts provided free to patients,
including things like wigs and prosthetics. ACS also helps uninsured
patients and those who are on Medicaid. In some areas, transportation
is also provided if patients need it to get to their treatments.
While the transportation service is not available for Owen County,
gas voucher cards are available to reimburse those who are driven
to treatments.
ACS also credits fund-raising events such as Relay for the advances
made in serving and treating cancer patients. Information from
a press release states that “the Society has contributed
to almost every major cancer discovery. As a result of research
advances there are more than 10 million cancer survivors in America.”
The Cancer Survivors Network allows survivors a support system
by putting them in touch with others who have been in their situation.
The network offers live chats and can be accessed through www.cancer.org
or by calling 1-(877)-333-4673.
Another important number for cancer patients is 1-(800)-ACS-2345.
That number connects them to the National Cancer Information Center
and can be accessed any time. According to the press release,
by calling this number, you will be put in touch with “trained
cancer information specialists. . . to answer questions and connect
callers to local resources.”
According to the release, research breakthroughs credited to ACS
contributions include: “establishing the link between cigarette
smoking and lung cancer, dramatically increased the cure rate
for childhood leukemia to over 85 percent, created hormonal therapy
for prostate cancer and proved the safety and effectiveness of
mammograms,” to name a few.
Dawn Davis is the Relay Chair for this year’s event and
said she thinks worrying about where donations go is an issue
more so in today’s society.
“You hear about extortions, and people not getting the money
they need,” Davis said. “I’ve never found that
with ACS.”
Davis said she called the 800 number last Friday and asked what
was available for Owen County cancer patients. She had been told
by some in the county that when they called, they didn’t
receive any help.
Though some services depend on what part of the county you live
in, cancer patients and survivors are encouraged to call for any
assistance they may need.
Chad Kinsella is the ACS representative responsible for Owen County.
Kinsella said that any time anyone has ever called the 800 number
or his office, they have always been able to find some type of
resource. ACS has no way of knowing exactly who needs help or
what kind of help they may need.
“People have to take the first step (to get assistance)
themselves,” Davis said.
The next “Look Good..Feel Better” class will be held
at 7 p.m. May 14 at St. Luke Hospital East in Fort Thomas. The
next “Man to Man” meeting will be held at 6 p.m. May
3 at Colonial Heights and Gardens in Florence.
The theme for this year’s Relay for Life event is “Decades
of Support to Find a Cure.” The event lasts from 7 p.m.
June 8 to 7 a.m. June 9.
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