CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings to Support American Cancer Society

February 10, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- The Mississippi RiverKings hockey club will spotlight the works of the DeSoto County Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Society on Sunday, Feb. 13 during the RiverKings game against the Wichita Thunder, and celebrate Relay ‚¬â„¢s accomplishments in raising $2,000 in grants from the RiverKings and owner Maddox Foundation through a ticket fundraiser.

As part of this special event, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is sponsoring a special jersey that will be auctioned on the ice immediately following the game. Proceeds will benefit not only American Cancer Society, but as a part of the RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ continuing commitment to youth sports, will be split with the Jr. StreetKings youth roller hockey league and Hernando Youth Sports. The jersey will be purple and feature the American Cancer Society logo and cancer awareness ribbon.

DeSoto County ‚¬â„¢s Relay For Life is a year-round fundraising event that culminates on June 3-4, 2011 with a celebration at Snowden Grove in Southaven. Stephanie McGreger, DeSoto County Relay for Life chair, says that Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser; it ‚¬â„¢s a life-changing experience. "I attended my first Relay For Life in Topeka, Kansas just a few weeks before my grandmother passed away from bladder cancer," McGreger said. "I was overwhelmed by the Survivor Ceremony and the outpouring of support from that community. I knew then that I had to get involved here at home in Desoto County."

Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man ‚¬â„¢s passion to fight cancer into a movement of more than 3.5 million people raising money and awareness domestically and worldwide for cancer research.

Nearly 30 teams consisting of representatives from community, business, civic, and religious organizations will be raising funds in their workplaces, in schools, and in every community of DeSoto County in efforts to reach the 2011 county fundraising goal of $90,000.

"Seeing the community rallying for a common cause in a family-friendly environment in a fantastic experience," McGreger said. "Relay For Life is an overnight event. The significance of daytime and nighttime coincides with the journey that all cancer patients go through.

"My favorite part of the event is the moment that the sun first breaks through the horizon and the new day begins. It is the symbolic end of a cancer patient's treatment. You've made it through the night and the darkness. You celebrate life in the daylight knowing that the darkness of nighttime is behind you. There is hope."

In addition to attending the Feb. 13th RiverKings game, interested community members can also attend the Sponsor and Volunteer Appreciation Reception and Silent Auction on April 8th from 6-8pm at the Snowden House in Southaven, a free, open-to-the public event.

"Because of the research that the ACS is doing, patients are living longer," McGreger said. "My mother in law, Ann McGreger, was diagnosed with Stage IV Triple Negative Breast Cancer in 2009. Because of a new drug that is now in a Phase III study and being reviewed by the ACS, she was able to survive 10 months past her diagnosis date.

"She was healthy enough throughout her chemotherapy to enjoy life, to enjoy making memories with her grandchildren, then ages 3 and 6, and to experience things she had been dreaming about for years - such as grandparent's day at school and her grandson's 3rd birthday. Those are happy times that my children will remember with her. She passed away last June, but I am so thankful to the researchers and scientists who were able to give us a few more months with her."

The are 118 support groups and programs that ACS provides in the North Mississippi/Memphis Metro area, from online communities, in-person support groups for prostate cancer and breast cancer, rides to treatment, lodging, cancer education classes, help with appearance-related side effects of treatment - also for teens with cancer - to online resource tools.

To contact the American Cancer Society, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. To find out more about Relay, visit www.relayforlife.org, email desotocountyrelay@gmail.com, or visit the Relay page on Facebook. To find a support group, visit www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/index.

The Mississippi RiverKings are supported by their community partners, season ticket holders, fans, and by program-related investments of the Maddox Foundation, an independent private foundation based in Hernando, Miss. To find out more about the RiverKings, call 662.342.1755 or visit www.riverkings.com.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2011


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