Fundraising ramps up for Conejo Valley’s May 20 Relay For Life

Local residents join hands in support of American Cancer Society



NO GIVING IN—A group of cancer survivors lead off last year’s inaugural Conejo Valley Relay For Life at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks. There’s still time to sign up a team for this year’s event.

NO GIVING IN—A group of cancer survivors lead off last year’s inaugural Conejo Valley Relay For Life at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks. There’s still time to sign up a team for this year’s event.

Sporting a pink sparkling crown and smiling from ear to ear, Weathersfield Elementary Principal James Marshall donned a princess headdress before taking a pie in the face from students— their reward for raising nearly $2,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

But these youngsters, members of K-Kids, a service club sponsored by Kiwanis, were motivated by more than a desire to cream their school’s head administrator.

When the club’s advisor, Cristy Warner, asked the students to raise money for Relay For Life, they were hungry to help.

“They have such an appetite for giving,” she said.

Weathersfield’s K-Kids club is one of dozens of local groups and organizations raising money for cancer research through Relay For Life, an annual event that takes place in communities throughout the world.

The overnight walk celebrates cancer survivors and honors those who have died. The Conejo Valley RFL is May 20 and 21 at Conejo Creek South on Janss Road.

Thousand Oaks organizer Kinsie Flame, who also runs the Moms of Conejo Valley website, said she hopes this year’s relay—the largest in Ventura County—will raise $150,000 for ACS. To bring in funds, RFL participants are asked to form teams and seek pledges. Since 1998, Conejo Valley events have raised $4.6 million.

Flame said the relay lasts 24 hours to represent how cancer patients get no break from their fight.

“If they can go 24/7, we can, too,” she said.

Because the event lasts a full day, participants set up tents around the Conejo Creek route. This year, campers can entertain themselves with a Tom Petty tribute band, moon bounces and face painting.

“It’s an event an entire family can do,” Flame said.

Last year’s Conejo Valley event combined relays from Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Oak Park and Westlake Village into one giant race, which is returning this year. Smaller races at Cal Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks High School and Oaks Christian are considered feeder events for this larger walk.

Flame said organizing the relay—which is expected to draw as many as 1,000 people—is a herculean task, but the reward is worth it.

“You see people fighting for their lives with a smile on their face knowing we’re behind them,” she said.

Fourth-grader Ray Acosta, a member of Weathersfield’s KKids, said he volunteers for Relay For Life and other events because he likes to help others.

“I want to make the world a better place,” Ray said.

Conejo Valley Unified School Board Trustee John Andersen came to the K-Kids April 19 meeting and donated $100 to its Relay For Life fund. He asked Warner if he could help because his wife, Cindy, survived cancer 20 years ago. He told students that Relay For Life events became an important annual milestone following her recovery.

“We used to go and camp overnight,” he said. “It was a big deal. What you’re doing really makes a difference.”

Flame said it’s not too late to participate in Conejo Valley’s Relay For Life. The event is open to all ages and fitness levels.

To sign up, visit facebook.com/RelayForLifeOfConejoValley.


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