Relay for Life is just around the corner

Once again, the Library is proud to be part of the Relay for Life, Des Plaines/Park Ridge. This year's Relay takes place on Friday, June 26, 2009 at Maine West High School, on Wolf Road in Des Plaines.

Our team, the Book Babes, works hard all year to raise funds for Relay, through bake sales, plant sales, "Denim Dayz," even a spare change jar in the lunchroom. But the Relay event is where the babes are separated from the boys, so to speak - the Book Babes always seem to be amongst the top fundraising teams in our local Relay and we're so proud of them. We have a new captain this year, Cheryl Gladfelter, as our captain of many years, Veronica Schwartz, takes on the even bigger responsibility of chairing the entire event. We're grateful for the boundless creativity and energy these two young women bring to our organization!

If you've never been a part of Relay for Life, take a few minutes to watch the above video. It features lots of photos and footage from last year's Relay (and a nice song by Keith Urban!), and you'll get a sense of what a fun, lively and joyful community event it is. You don't have to be on a Relay team to come. Bring your family or a friend, walk for awhile, buy some raffle tickets or snack items, make a donation - you can make a valuable contribution with even a small gift, because it all adds up in the end. Undoubtedly the threat of cancer has touched your life in some way - here at the Library, we lost two long-time coworkers, Barbara Saletnik and Kathy Kyrouac, in just the last calendar year. That's two too many, and we are determined to be a help in finding a cure. So come on out and visit with us at Relay as we honor our former colleagues, our family members and friends, both those who succumbed to cancer and those who have survived.

Want more information? Want to make an online donation? Visit the local Relay Web site: www.relayforlifedesplaines.com