This is a plea to our wonderful community to come out and get involved in this fall's Relay for Life at Conejo Creek Park - South (where Conejo Valley Days and the soccer games are).

I have been involved in the Relay since September of 1999 after my mother passed away of thymic cancer in 1998, and I've been hooked ever since.

Along with continuing to be involved with my own team(s), I am also on the Steering Committee that organizes and plans the event every year, taking on the role of Team Captain Coordinator, and this year, our team count is down significantly. Maybe it's because of the economy; maybe it's because of the date of the event (August 28 and 29) and the potential for hot weather; maybe it's because of the end-of-the-summer family get-aways, or maybe this is the first you've heard of the relay.

We all are affected by cancer, and from the bottom of my heart, I am asking those of you who have done the event before and those of you who have never done the event to gather your friends and family and start a team by signing on to http://www.cvrfl.org.

One more thing, don't let the word "relay" deceive you! This is not a race or anything you have to train for! You can skip, walk backwards, twirl or hop around the track. You can walk for half an hour or the whole 24 (as long as someone from your team is on the track for the 24-hour duration). Just come out and join us, and I'm telling you, you'll be hooked just like I was 12 years ago, when I showed up at the event to do my walking time (2-4 a.m.!). Please email me if you have any questions! lesliebirdwhs@yahoo.com.

~ Leslie Bird,
Thousand Oaks