This year, more than 1.4 million people will hear the words “You have cancer” – and their lives will change forever. The American Cancer Society is committed to guiding people through every step of their cancer journey – but we need your help.

Your support helps create a world where this disease no longer threatens the lives of those we love.

Right now, someone facing cancer needs help – and for a limited time you can double the impact of your gift. You can help save lives today by donating to the American Cancer Society as part of the Walgreens Matching Gift Challenge. Walgreens, a major drug store retailer in more than 7,000 communities in the US, has generously offered to match the support of our donors, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $100,000! Their contribution, like yours, will have an immediate impact on the lives of people fighting cancer and their loved ones.

But you must act quickly – this matching gift challenge will expire on May 14, 2010.

Your gift is urgently needed to help the American Cancer Society continue to save lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against a disease that has taken too much. Together, we can create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Please make a gift now to take advantage of Walgreens’ generous offer before it expires on May 14, 2010. Thank you!

10:15 a.m. – Opening Ceremony, featuring Matthew Zachary, Myrna Duarte, the survivor lap, and the first team lap!

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Kanta Bosniak, hypnotist

12:00 p.m. – 12:25 p.m.: Left Me Bashful

12: 40 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.: Bang Language

1:20 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.:  TAAL

2:00 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.:  Life Size Maps

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.:  Survivor Yoga by CaitlinMiracle

2:40 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.:  CU Raas

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.:  Survivor Physical Consultants

3:20 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.:  Tony Gong

4:00 p.m. – Dodgeball

4:15 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.:  Flink

4:55 p.m. – 5:20 p.m.:  Straw Hat

5:35 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.:  Columbia Bluegrass

6:15 p.m. – 6:40 p.m.:  Meghna Prasad

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.:  Relay Idol

8:15 p.m.: Raffle & Awards

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Luminaria Ceremony

• • Jazmin Fuller
  • Marla Lipsyc & Stephanie Tarras
  • IhnSeon Park and… (I have to ask her what she wants to call this group)

12:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.: Miss Relay Pageant at Campo

SEE YOU TOMORROW!

1. CASH! Some food will be provided for registered participants only, so bring cash to take advantage of the JAMBA JUICE sales, the bake sales,

2. Wear clothes you can move in! The reason it’s called a RELAY is because every team is responsible for having at least one person on the track doing laps (walking, jogging, running, crawling, whatever) for the entire time. Plus, we need people to be ready to go for Dodgeball! So wear clothes that move and comfortable shoes

3. Supplies for your on-site fundraiser! Every team is required to organize a fundraiser, whether it is a temporary tattoo station or a booth selling water bottles, so don’t forget to bring supplies, spare change, and signs to show people what you’re selling.

4. Costumes and your team banner!  One of the most memorable parts of Relay is seeing all the cool costumes that each team brings to go with the team theme–this year’s is AROUND THE WORLD. In addition, bring a banner for the team lap at 10am so that everybody will know who you are! Contact Rob or Lisa to get materials for a banner.

In commemoration of the statistic that 1 in every 3 people will get cancer in their lifetime (and in our efforts to change that statistic), here are 3 services that the American Cancer Society provides, thanks to your fundraising dollars:

1. Cancer Research Grants: last year the ACS gave a $2.1 million grant to two researchers at Teacher’s College for their work dealing with colon cancer (colorectal cancer) in low-income communities and increasing the use of cancer screening. It’s the biggest grant the ACS has given to date, and to one of the communities that needs it the most.

2. Patient Services: here in New York City, the ACS recently opened up the Herald Square Hope Lodge, a free temporary housing facility for cancer patients and their caretakers. People who are extremely burdened by paying for cancer treatments now have a place to stay to alleviate some of that burden.

3. Educational Materials: the ACS puts out hundreds of informational brochures on healthy living and how to minimize your own cancer risk. At Relay every year, we have a table set up dedicated to “Mission”–improving awareness of risky behaviors and providing information on how to live a more safe, wholesome life. These will be available to you, as always, on the day of Relay.

Best of all, this year Campo has agreed to let us kick off there, and this Saturday is Campo’s 2nd Anniversary, so expect a huge party while you await the return of the pageanteers.  There will be a $5 cover, but if you registered for Relay for Life your cover is only $3 and you get a shot voucher for a ‘classy coffee-ale shot‘ from the top shelf.  We’ll have a list of participants at the door – try to make an appearance at midnight to see off our contestants.

If you would like to register for Miss Relay (or recommend a friend to register) just send me an email at rjf2111@columbia.edu.  Have fun, keep recruiting, plan your own on-site fund raiser, hang your participant flyers from your captains, and let’s make this the most successful Relay possible.

Good Luck!

-Robert Frawley

1. Family: They love you! They are proud of your accomplishments, and want to see you succeed in all your ventures. Ask mom, pop, sis, and bro if they can spare a couple dollars–they’ll usually exceed your expectations.

2. Friends: Ask these people to empty out their pockets and give you their spare change–those quarters and dimes add up quickly. Or, even better, recruit them to register for your team and begin fundraising on their own! Relay is the most fun when you get to hang out with all your friends there all day long!

3. Coworkers: You are the lowly intern at the firm, and are eating Ramen day and night. However, everybody else at your company is ordering a burger and soda for lunch–jealous! Ask them, for one day this week, to donate their lunch money and bring a bagged lunch in support of the American Cancer Society and the incredible efforts towards research, patient services, and education that they provide.

4. Club members: C’mon, you’re at Columbia. You’re an overachiever, admit it. And because of that, you’re in at least one club full of cool kids who think it’s pretty groovy that you’re fighting cancer in your spare time. Ask them for support!

Keep up the good work–we’re almost there!

1. Take advantage of your online resources. When you registered for Relay, you create a username. With that username, you can set up a personal fundraising website. Almost every person who has sent an email increased their donations. Family and friends from across the country can make donations to your team by simply clicking on the link. It’s a great way to reach out, especially if you aren’t from New York or the East Coast.  Also be sure to make personal touches to your fundraising web page and emails.  Tell people why the cause is important to you or who you Relay for.  People will be more willing to donate if they understand why the cause is so important to you.

2. Bake sale! It takes only a few hours in the afternoon to bake up some impressive goodies to sell to your suitemates, floormates, or classmates. When you tell everyone that the money that you raise goes directly towards fighting cancer, you may be able to solicit some extra donations.

3. Have a night-in. Instead of going out to dinner or going out to clubs and bars, ask your friends to stay in with you–watch a movie and cook dinner together. Instead of spending $40 going downtown, your friends can have a little extra cash to contribute to a great cause.

4. Every little bit helps. When asking people to contribute, remind them that even $5 can make a huge difference. As a college student, it is sometimes more effective to get a lot of smaller donations. Even a poor college student has some spare change that he or she won’t miss.

5. ASK! ASK! ASK! The #1 reason why people do not donate is because they are not asked.  Ask your family, friends, club members, teachers, co-workers, everyone.  Cancer is a disease that has touched everyone in some way or another.  You’ll be surprised who may end up donating to your cause.

What’s been the most successful way for YOU to fundraise?

Matthew Zachary was a 21-year old college senior and aspiring concert pianist and composer en route to film school to become a Hollywood film composer when he slowly lost use of his left hand, was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer (medulloblastona) and told he’d likely never perform again. Twelve years, four albums and scores of concerts later, Matthew’s struggle to get busy living has inspired countless thousands. Today, Matthew is an award-winning musician and composer, accredited thought-leader in public health, a leading authority on the youth cancer culture, a highly credentialed and coveted motivational speaker, and a burgeoning social entrepreneur with the founding of the I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation in 2007, a pioneering nonprofit organization in the Web2.0/Health2.0 space that was recently ranked a TIME Magazine Best 50 Website for 2007. A member of the prestigious Google Health Advisory Council, Matthew has 15 years of experience in advertising, youth culture marketing, information technology and visual communications for print and web in addition to strategic expertise public relations, consumer healthcare, nonprofit management and social media. Matthew has won several industry awards and has been recognized internationally for his innovations as a visionary trend influencer and change agent who has always been ahead of his time. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Matthew holds an interdisciplinary BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton that combined the music, theater, computer science, and sociology disciplines. For more information about Matthew, please visit his official website at http://MatthewZachary.com

His bio is so inspirational, I can’t wait to hear him speak to us during the opening ceremonies of this year’s Relay For Life!!