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More than $5,000 raised at Trojans vs. Cancer
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FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Trojan Athletic Booster Club raised over $5,000 during its annual “Trojans vs. Cancer” event on Jan. 24.
That night, the Trojans hosted basketball games against the Washington Demons. One dollar from every admission went to Relay for Life of Jefferson County, and there were many more opportunities for visitors to contribute to the cause that assists local cancer patients. Guests could purchase a rubber duckie, and then during halftime, everyone in the crowd threw their duckie toward center court. The person who got their duckie closest to the center won a fruit basket donated by Hy-Vee.
A donation bucket was passed through the crowd, residents could bid on dessert items at a silent auction, and inside the FHS Commons the Student Council served a soup supper.
Kathy Thornton, branch manager at Community 1 st Credit Union in Fairfield, spoke about why her company is a consistent corporate sponsor of the event.
“We like to be involved in the community, and this is a great cause,” Thornton said. “So many people are affected by cancer, and we like to promote things that are needed in the community.”
Shawn McCarty of State Farm Insurance was another corporate sponsor, and McCarty said he and his wife Mandy try to find ways to give back to the schools.
“When they collaborate with a great organization like the American Cancer Society, it makes it pretty easy to decide where the money goes,” McCarty said. “We’ve worked with Dawn [Ridgeway Bechtel] for over a decade, and we felt it was time to up our donation.”
Nancy Diers of the Trojan Athletic Booster Club said the amount raised, $5,234.88, was the third highest amount in the 10 years she’s been involved. In that time, the event has generated more than $40,000.
“I’ve had cancer in my family, and my dad passed away from melanoma cancer,” Diers said about why this issue was important to her. “It’s a good fund that I want to stay involved with, and hopefully the research will continue to get better for all types of cancer. I know it’s gotten better for skin cancer in the last 20 years that my dad’s been gone.”
Elite Tire & Auto sponsored T-shirts for the event, and Iowa State Bank, Weaton Companies and Agri-Industrial Plastics paid for T-shirts and towels for the players.
Dawn Ridgeway Bechtel of Relay for Life of Jefferson County said this event brought the amount raised this year to $16,143.88, a little over halfway toward the group’s goal of $30,000 for the year. Last year, the committee raised over $50,000, and Bechtel was the No. 2 fundraiser in Iowa and Top 10 nationally by raising $30,076.06 herself. Her team, the Cancer Exterminators, was the No. 4 team in Iowa, raising $33,218.
A brochure from Relay for Life of Jefferson County indicates that these fundraisers go to programs such as paying for a cancer patient’s transportation for treatment, phone consultations with cancer experts, and free lodging for a cancer patient and caregiver at American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Iowa City.
Bechtel said the group’s next big event is the Luminaria Walk and Survivor Meal, from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Fairfield Golf & Country Club.
Relay for Life of Jefferson County meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Jefferson County Health Center. Those who wish to join can call Bechtel at 641-919-2209.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
