Animal Care Clinic is up to another community service activity – and we want every one of you to join us!

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society ™s celebration of cancer survival that also serves as a great fundraiser and educational event. This is a 24 hour relay. That means that our team, called Paws For The Cause, will be taking turns walking around the track at San Luis High School for a full 24 hours next weekend. The idea is to simulate a day in the life of cancer patient: a patient on chemo can ™t just go home at night and take a rest; they are in the fight 24-7.

My favorite part of Relay is the opening survivors ™ lap. The entire event begins as a celebration of those who have successfully beaten this disease or who are currently in the battle. At 10am on 6/24/06, hundreds of cancer survivors will together start off Relay by walking the first lap. I hope that every cancer survivor reading this will join me in the opening lap. It is truly uplifting and inspiring. Bring your caretakers, as they will be honored also. If you do not have the distinction of being a cancer survivor, please come to the ceremony anyway. This is an opportunity to cheer on a group of very brave souls, to see that cancer can be beaten, and to learn about the joys of conquering our stumbling blocks.

In the evening there is a luminary ceremony. You can purchase luminaria to honor survivors or to remember those we have lost to cancer. The names of the honorees will be read and the luminaria lit. These luminaria provide the light that we walk to in the middle of the night. This is another time you will not want to miss. The ceremony begins at 9pm, at San Luis High on 6/24.

If you wish to financially support our team, purchase a luminary or register as a survivor, please call us or visit the Relay website at www.cancer.org.

by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP