West Chatham Relay for Life Gears Up

By Genevieve Rogers

The West Chatham Relay for Life held a kickoff meeting September 28th at the Bradbury Suites in Pooler. Those interested in forming teams for the events, and current team members, were given information about the Relay and what they could do to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. A movie about past Relays was shown, and guest speakers, including a cancer survivor, spoke to those in attendance. Tables were decorated in holiday themes, reflecting the theme for this year's event: "Relay Holidays, Celebrating Life All Year". Refreshments were provided and door prizes were given out.

The Relay for Life is an annual overnight event held each year which raises money for research and programs for the American Cancer Society. Since 1946, the ACS has contributed more than $2.3 billion dollars towards cancer research. The first relay was held in 1986, and since that time, it has grown to the biggest single fundraising activity in the world. This year, over 40 Relays have been planned.

The West Chatham Relay will be held March 30-31, 2007 from 7PM to 7AM at the West Chatham Middle School. This year's goal is to raise over $27,000. There's a $10 registration fee per person. There's no deadline for registration, but those interested are encouraged to sign up as early as possible, so they'll have more time to raise money.

The first team meeting will be held October 12th at 6:30PM at Lovezolla's in Pooler. Those interested in joining are encouraged to attend.

For more information about the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life, go to: http://www.cancer.org/.

Contact information for the West Chatham Relay for Life:

Leigh Kersey at (912) 507-1827 / Email: leighkersey@yahoo.com

Amy Hernandez at (912) 355-5196 Read More

Lynells Tribute ~ Disability Voice Chat

By Irene Vigo

Since the inception of The Americans with Disabilities Act, which became federal law in 1990, there has been some change in the mind set of how we view people with disabilities. When I was in college, the transformation was apparent in the language we used when we referred to persons with a disability. It was no longer politically correct or accurate to refer to someone with a disability in a derogatory manner.

I entered a program, which was initially a certificate program, and then became an associates degree program specifically designed to educate and positively project persons with disabilities. It was integral to the professor of the program and to the members of our organizational club to definitively provide education throughout the community as well as to our academic peers. It was no simple task as many people still had their misconceptions and dismal view of people who had either a physical or mental disability.

The question was consistently raised as to quality of life. In other words, what type of quality of life can an individual truly have if they have a disability? The word itself holds a somewhat negative connotation as does handicapped. Read More