Tri-Valley Relay for Life raises over $100,000 to Save Lives from

Livermore, California – 25 teams with over 150 people participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Tri-Valley Presented by Chevron on June22-23,2019 at Granada High School. There were many visitors to the event and over 200 volunteers from the National Charity League, Boys Team Charity, PLAY Leadership and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Tri-Valley Relay includes the cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Danville.

More than $100,000 was raised to support the American Cancer Society’s mission of saving lives from cancer. Funds raised provide free information and support for people facing the disease today, and fund cancer research to protect future generations.

“It was inspirational to see people from all parts of our community come out to support us and help save lives from cancer,” said Martel Marshall. “Together, we celebrated those surviving cancer, remembered loved ones lost, and took tangible action to make a difference.”

Special thanks to Livermore Mayor John Marchand, Kathy Narum of the Pleasanton City Council and Dr. Nicholas Giacalone from the Kaiser Permanente Dublin Cancer Center for speaking at the opening ceremony and for support from Dublin Mayor David Haubert. A highlight of the event occurred at the end of the survivor lap when Officer Emmett of the Pleasanton Police Department and firemen from the Livermore/Pleasanton Fire Department presented the survivors with their medals. One of the firemen walked the survivors lap as he is also a survivor. Jennifer Nash, an American Cancer Society staff, recalled the event, “I walked with a cancer survivor as she was behind the group holding the banner. When we got to about 100 yards away from where the firemen were standing, they noticed us walking and came to join us for the last 100 yards. It was a great way to start the event, very emotional and powerful.”

Two new teams truly stood out. Team Bishops Cuts/Color is a Pleasanton hair salon, they were generous in their support and were a signature sponsor of the event. For their creative and extremely successful fundraiser, they braided hair and put glitter in it. The second was Team Brookie & The Sigs. Brooke is a cancer patient and her college friends came from out of town to show their support for her. They brought a great new energy to the event, as they played volleyball and participated in team events.

The following teams and individuals were recognized for their extraordinary efforts:

· Top 3 Fundraising teams: Team Shining Stars ($16,500), ATI Architects and Engineers ($6,000), UNCLE Cancer Crusaders ($3,700)

· Top 4 Fundraising individuals: Pamela Cappel ($5,200), Mary Lou Creek ($4,400), and Natalia Custudio ($3,700), Kathy Porter ($2,700)

· Young Heroes Award went to the student team at Foothill High School, which has an American Cancer Society Club to fight cancer.

Sponsorships and fundraising from community partners pushed the total over $100,000. Fremont Bank supported multiple community events, including Tri-Valley Relay at $7,500. Chevron at Bishop Ranch’s Presenting Sponsorship was $10,000 and sponsored the Cancer Awareness Walk, and an additional $21,000 was raised by participants from the business park, including Chevron, Robert Half, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, AT&T, Pinnacle Actuaries Resources, and Toyota Financial Services. UNCLE Credit Union was a $2,500 sponsor. ATI Architects and Engineers, a Gold sponsor, provided a meeting space throughout the year and had a special banner in their signature line to outreach for Relay. Silver Sponsor UNCLE Credit Union made a monetary donation and provided space for the T-shirt night.

Special recognition to Wells Middle School in Dublin for holding a school wide Coin Wars which raised $2,500 earlier this year.

The Relay For Life of the Tri-Valley 24-hour event takes place over a weekend, but fundraising efforts towards the fight against cancer are year-round and the enormous support throughout the year speaks to our strength as a community. We are so grateful to each and everyone who donated and supported the event this year.

Founded by Dr. Gordy Klatt in Washington in 1985, the Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest fundraising event to save lives from cancer. Uniting communities across the globe, we celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action for lifesaving change. During Relay For Life events, members of each team take turns walking or running around the track or path. Teams participate in fundraising in the months leading up to the event.

Donations can still be made by visiting RelayForLife.org/TriValleyCA and anyone interested in joining the fight against cancer can email Anh Nguyen, anh.nguyen@cancer.org.