No More Relay

Dear Editor,

The organizing committee for the Northeast Montana Relay For Life has made a change in their activities. What this means is that we will no longer be having a Relay For Life event in Glasgow. The American Cancer Society has made changes in their operations that have affected us. We were no longer getting the support staff help out of the Billings office (didn't have that the past two relays), they no longer offer lodging and gas assistance for cancer patients that needed to travel for appointments, and their overall philosophy has changed.

Therefore, we have changed what we are doing. As some of you may have heard, we have started a new organization called Valley County Project HOPE. (HOPE stands for Helping Others Pay Expenses) This group is being set up to provide financial assistance to Valley County people that need help due to medical costs. We are nearing the completion of our Bylaws; we have a mission statement, an EIN number, P.O. Box, and a group of people interested in making this a positive thing for Valley County residents.

Once our bylaws are completed and adopted, then we can go to work on getting our 501 (c) 3 status in place. We have continued to have our regular fundraisers (Skate for the Cure and Cuisine for the Cure) and will have the Festival of Trees in November. The Relay was our big fundraiser, so we are replacing that with a 4th of July event. We are working on a community barbecue, auction and a variety show that will precede the fireworks display. This will be held at the Valley Event Center.

The schedule is as follows:

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Barbecue (free will offering)

The menu is burger, potato salad, baked beans, chips, brownie, drink and watermelon

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. - Live Auction

8:30 – 10:00 p.m. - Variety Show (showcasing local talent...this is not a judged event...just entertainment)

10:15 (roughly) - The annual fireworks display

We hope to serve 500 people and have 15 to 20 performers.

Many of you were so supportive of Relay in the past, and we would love to have your continued support. Your annual sponsorship check can be made out to: Two Rivers Growth (memo: HOPE) and sent to PO Box 764. Two Rivers is holding our funds until we get our 501 (c) 3 status in place.

We could also use items for our auction. If you would like to donate items, then please let Rod Karst know, and they will be picked up prior to the 4th. He can be reached at 263-8757.

It is felt that this change is a positive one for our community as the majority of the money will be staying here in Valley County. A small donation will be made to the American Cancer Society each year to assist in cancer research.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on July 4th!

Sincerely,

Valley County Project HOPE Organizing Committee