I relay, do you?

For the past four years, I've participated in Relay for Life, an event dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight cancer. I relay for my lovely, dear friend John Bruton who sadly lost his battle in November 2011. John was the life of the party and I'm dedicated to keeping the party going in his honor.

I just signed up for our campus American Cancer Society Relay For Life event, and I'd be honored if you’d join the I&TS team. The Relay For Life event is a great time for friends to get together to have fun , honor cancer survivors, remember those lost to the disease, and raise funds and awareness to help end cancer forever. Attending Relay is not mandatory, but it's lots of fun! Sadly, I'll be out of town for this year's but am dedicated to fund-raising for this important cause.

The best part? Because of the funds raised by people like you and me, more people in our community...

• Have the information and tools they need to avoid getting cancer or find the disease early, when it's easiest to treat by visiting cancer.org

• Have a place to turn for help 24/7 by calling 1-800-227-2345

• Benefit from the progress being made toward finding cancer's causes and cures

• Get access to lifesaving screenings and treatment

Tomorrow, more than 4,400 people, including some you and I may know, will hear the words "You have cancer". Relay For Life events are an opportunity to inspire hope by raising funds and awareness to help those facing the disease. I hope you will join me! If you decide not to join our team, please consider donating to our team which you can do online or by contributing to the envelope (and getting that darn bear outta here.)

-- Lizz Zitron