Diane's Divas 15 Years of Fighting Cancer with Relay For Life

Despite the challenging spring for American Cancer Society Relay of Life events everywhere, Team Diane’s Divas of Relay For Life of Southern Montgomery County has brought in more than $23,000, though it’s almost half of the previous year’s $40,000 fundraising. Team leader Mary Lodge says, “It’s amazing to me the amount we were able raise this year. I was concerned about fundraising, but I found out, all you have to do is ask. I wrote a lot of emails. I have a wonderful network of friends and acquaintances. Then I post thank yous on Facebook with personal photos or, if they would like, their stories. So many of our team members are on lockdown this year, otherwise, we would have raised more. As of last year, we’d raised a total of more than $272,000 since the team’s started 15 years ago. We hoped to get to $300,000 this year, but if we don’t, it’s ok. It’s an unusual year.”

Diane’s Divas commemorates Diane Corsillo, a neighbor of Mary’s in Olney, who was well loved in the community and tragically passed away from liver cancer at age 42, just 7 months after her diagnosis, leaving a husband and three sons, ages 9, 13 and 15, at the time. “Her sons are like my sons,” explains Mary, a breast cancer survivor herself, who formed the team with about 20 friends and family members in Diane’s honor. Fighting cancer is close to Mary’s heart. Her father died of bladder cancer at age 73, and Diane’s twin sister lost a child to brain cancer. To learn more about virtual Relay of Southern Montgomery County and watch it virtually this Saturday, May 30, see www.facebook.com/RFLSoMoCo.

Here is the beautiful letter that Mary sent her friends this year:

Dear Family and Friends,

In these uncertain times, our battle against cancer is more important than ever. This year, we have been told that we will not be able to physically “walk" on May 30th. As much as I love gathering with my fantastic "Diane's Divas" and all the other great teams on Relay day, the most important thing is not that we are walking in community around the track. The most important thing is joining in the fight against Cancer.

In fourteen years, Diane's Divas, (named in loving memory of our Dear Friend, Diane Corsillo) has raised over $272,000 and we couldn't do ALL we do without the wonderful contributions, large and small, of YOU, our amazing supporters. Miraculous progress is being made in cancer research every year, every day, every hour. You are a GRAND PART of this progress and we are forever grateful! ♥

Your donation will be going to something a little different and very meaningful this year. Because of the pandemic and shelter-in-place, the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge is not able to house families with loved ones receiving cancer treatments. ACS has created the Hope Lodge COVID-19 Response Fund and all the funds we raise for 2020 will be directed toward this Fund to now house many of the medical personnel, working on the frontlines of this pandemic, fighting to save lives, and worried about going home again infecting their own families.

Simply click on my link: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/MaryLodge , and consider donating for the Hope Lodges across the country.

May you all stay healthy and safe. ♥ And thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ♥