To help raise funds for Relay for Life, Events at the Mill in Lucas will host a Girls’ Night out Holiday Expo on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 6-9 p.m.
Twenty-four crafters and venders will be present along with refreshments, door prizes, raffles, and a free gift for all those who attend.
Event organizer Karen Hoffman stated that the motivation for planning the benefit came from her desire to plan events and from a personal tie to Relay for Life.
Each year Relay for Life draws hundreds of people (cancer patients, cancer survivors, caregivers, supporters, friends, and family) together to raise funds for those affected by cancer. And just last year, Hoffman participated in Relay for Life for the first time to show support for her husband, Lance Hoffman, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1995 and cured ten years later of the disease.
“I’ve always wanted to do [Relay for Life] and my youngest daughter wanted to sign up for it to walk around on the track to support her dad,” said Hoffman.
Now with a year of experience under her belt, Hoffman hopes to raise funds for next year’s Relay for Life through the benefit on Saturday, in which all of the proceeds will go toward Relay for Life.
She stated that her daughters have been a part of the planning process and will both help out on Saturday evening. Her youngest daughter, Maryellen Hoffman, will be checking coats with her Girl Scout troop, and her oldest daughter, Dava Dawson, will help oversee her booth, where she will be selling Paparazzi Jewelry. “We’re an extremely close-knit family and have been working together on this,” she said.
Also attending the event are Steph Tharp and Rebecca Dickison, both of whom have a team for Relay for Life dubbed “Teal Warriors.” Tharp explained the reasoning behind the name, noting that the color teal represents ovarian cancer. Dickison was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and will soon start her second round of chemotherapy.
Tharp added that her late husband passed away from cancer at the young age of 20 in 1980. Because of her relation to loved ones who have been affected by the disease, Tharp wanted to get involved in Relay for Life and she made sure to mark the upcoming benefit down on her calendar.
“Not only is it a ladies’ night out, but it’s bringing awareness to cancer,” said Tharp. Cancer patients, she said, “need to know that there are people out there who support them.”
