Relay for Life is April 18, 2009!
A note from our Relay Team Captain, Matt Berberich:
Whether it is a friend, family member, the neighbor down the street, or our own personal experience, we have all been touched by cancer in some way. We all have the power to make a difference in the fight against cancer. That's why I have chosen to fight back right here in our community by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life®
I know that you care about finding an end to cancer, and I hope you will join me at this year's Relay For Life®. Further down in this message is a link to my personal Relay For Life® web page, where you can sign up and join my team. If you are not able to attend, you can make an online donation to support my efforts. By taking part in Relay For Life®, we have a chance to join 3.5 million people from across the country to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that takes too much. At the event, we'll camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track to raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission. There is an incredible ceremony to celebrate cancer survivors and caregivers that starts off the night, and a moving ceremony to honor and remember those who have fought the disease. I can truly say Relay is unlike anything else you'll ever experience. It's a night full of fun, hope, and remembrance. Together, we can celebrate, remember, and fight back. Please join me.
Click here to view the team page for NIH Graduate Students
Graduate Student Blood Drives are held approximately every other month. Look for e-mail announcements for the next Blood Drive or email GSCservice@od.nih.gov at any time to sign up for the next event. The NIH patient community greatly appreciates our help.
Manna Food warehouse box-packing nights are held the first Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October, and December. We carpool to Rockville and sort food donations into 150 boxes, seal them up, and load them on pallets to be delivered to needy families in Montgomery County. Please join us! Contact us for details or to sign up GSCservice@od.nih.gov
Youth Enrichment Program of the Transitional Housing Corporation: THC is a D.C. non-profit organization that helps families with children move from homelessness to permanent housing and lives of independence and dignity. The children meet with volunteers and the program leader every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night from 6:30-8pm. The group goes to the park or to a local church facility to do arts and crafts, to read, or to play games. As you can imagine, these kids have a lot of instability in their lives so the opportunity to spend a block of time with strong role models is extremely valuable to them. The group meets at their apartment building in the Columbia Heights neighborhood (volunteer pick-up is at the Petworth/Georgia Ave Metro). Prospective volunteers should fill out the two forms on the THC Volunteer website (http://www.thcdc.org/Volunteers.cfm ). There are currently 3 or 4 of us graduate students that volunteer every 1-2 weeks; contact me if you’d like to join us! GSCservice@od.nih.gov