LETTER: Relay For Life Thanks Community for Its Support

June 14, 2012

To the Editor of the Falls Church Times:

On behalf of the 2012 Relay for Life of Falls Church Committee, I want to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the recent 6th annual relay, which was held on June 2nd at George Mason High School.

Relay for Life is a volunteer-driven community event that gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Through the hard work and tireless support of our teams, chaperones, cancer survivors and volunteers we raised more than $90,000 … and still counting.

Many organizations in our community also participated in this success, by showing their support before and/or during the event. These include the businesses who participated in our Paint the Town Purple event to bring awareness to Relay; Anthony’s Restaurant, Apna Bazaar, Argia’s Restaurant, Bikenetic, Brown’s Hardware, Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, Crisp and Juicy, Curves, Dogwood Tavern, Don Beyer Volvo, Falls Church Antique Center, Father & Son Barber Shop, Flippin Pizza, Ideal Town Kitchen and Bath, Ireland’s Four Provinces, Mad Fox Brewing Company, Natalia’s Elegant Creations, Pho 88, and Potomac Cleaners.

We also had several companies who made donations or sponsored activities at the Bark for Life of Falls Church, a non-competitive walk for dogs and their owners which helped bring awareness to the community about Relay. These include Dogma Bakery, KSR Pet Care, Old Dominion Animal Health Center, Unleashed Abilities, Wylie Wagg and Fany (K-9) and her handler Sgt. Gregory M. Stone, K-9 Unit Commander Special Operations Division.
 
We have many companies to thank for their generous sponsorships and donations that made Relay so special for all of our participants; Bruegger’s Bagels, Edible Arrangements, Falls Church Florist, Famous Dave’s Barbeque, Fleets Bay Charitable Trust, Giant Foods, Kendall’s Cakes, Natalia’s Elegant Creations, Olive Garden Restaurant, Open Kitchen, Papa John’s Pizza, Pie Tanza, Starbuck’s at Broaddale, TATI, and Trader Joe’s.

We would also like to give a special thanks to Gary Mester who has been our official photographer for Relay and Bark for Life for several years. We greatly appreciate his continual support in donating his time and photography services for our events.

Most of all, thank you to our supportive Little City community family – the Falls Church City Schools, the Falls Church Community Center and the Falls Church Parks and Recreation Department. We appreciate all of your help with the many logistics involved in this event.

With your continued support, we can win the fight against cancer in our lifetime. We hope to see you all next year at the Relay for Life of Falls Church event in 2013!

Katie Gibson
Volunteer Event Chair
Relay For Life of Falls Church