June's Angels: Off To Early Start For 2014 Relay For Life

Mar 05, 2014

June's Angels, the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life team who are entering their third year of participation in the Canadian Cancer Society's (CCS) annual fundraiser, are starting their efforts off early this year.

They held a chili lunch and bake sale on March 1 at the IOOF hall in Parham that was very well attended. The team is made up of close to 30 members of the Fox family and is named for June Fox of Parham, who succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2012 when she was 82 years old. She left behind a very large family and their goal is to keep her memory alive by raising funds for the Cancer Society through the annual Relay for Life, which this year will take place on June 20, 2014 at the Parham fairgrounds.

Rose Lapointe, one of June's daughters, said that cancer has hit her family hard. Her brother, Roger Fox, succumbed to the disease and passed away in 2013 and her sisters Merilee and Janice both have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are currently undergoing treatments. Six-year-old Kylie Babcock is another relative who has fought a long and hard battle against the disease. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was just two years old.

Rose said that the team last year raised over $1500 for the cause and that this year they will be holding a number of events that will help them reach their fundraising goals. Saturday’s event included a chili lunch and bake sale and numerous tables were loaded with a wide array of tasty baked goods that were prepared and donated by the team’s members. Glenn Fox, June’s widower, attended the event and at 89 years of age, he is the oldest family member on the team. The youngest is one of Glenn’s 26 grandchildren, nine-month-old Emerald, who sat on her granddad’s lap for part of the event. Glenn is the proud father of 12, grandfather of 25 (or 26) and has that many great-grandchildren as well.

Lesley Merrigan, who will be chairing the North and Central Relay for Life again this year, was in attendance to show support for the team. “I'm here to support the team because without the teams there can be no relay.” Merrigan said that she is looking forward to another great Relay for Life this year. “We are in full swing and have tentatively booked our kick off date for March 29.”

Merrigan said that there will be bit of a change in focus this year although fundraising for the cause will still be number one. “We are hoping to focus and theme our committee functions this year so that they are more preventative and education-based. We are also striving this year to be more proactive. We can fight cancer with dollars but we have to fight it with education as well. This year we want to highlight certain important issues like the issues that lobbyists are fighting for.”

Merrigan gave the example of lobbyists helping to implement the law that was passed recently making 18 years the mandatory age for use of tanning beds. “The CCS is not just about a group of people raising money. They also lobby and advocate for important changes to be made in society as well as offering many services to members of the community. We are aiming now to be more than one event a year and to be broader based by helping people realize what they can do in their own homes and businesses to help the cause.”

Rose Lapointe said that she was pleased with the turn out for the event and all of the support the team has received from the community. The Angels are planning more fundraisers this year including a dance in May and a Family Fun Day in June as well as an upcoming movie might. Watch for listings in the Northern Happenings.