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Highlands Today

Avon Park Raises Money For Cancer

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: March 16, 2009

AVON PARK - As the Relay for Life began at 1 p.m. Saturday, volunteers had raised only 25 percent of their $40,000 goal, said Denise Benavides, the American Cancer Society's unit director of the Hardee and Highlands units.

"We need more commitment from the community," she said. The goal was for 25 teams in Avon Park to form teams and walk the high school track until 6 a.m. Sunday. Twelve teams signed up, but two dropped out, so only 10 were walking Saturday when the event started.

Even so, Benavides was hopeful. "We'll get bigger, and we'll get better. We need to raise another $30,000, but we can collect money until the end of July," she said.

The money helps the cancer society fund dozens of programs, Benavides said. One, Reach to Recovery, provides wigs and prosthetics for men and women recovering from cancer. Another, Lifeline Road to Recovery, pays mileage and lodging for patients who must drive to distant cities to get cancer treatment.

Other programs provide weekends at Disney World for children with cancer, or camping trips to Boggy Creek so they can ride horses. Some children get scholarships, like Benavides' own son, who was 9 when he contracted Burkitt's Lymphoma. It attacked the lymph nodes all over his body, but he survived, and he's now a 27 year-old teacher who has never seen a reoccurrence.

For more information, or to donate, call 866-739-5288.

Highlands Today reporter Gary Pinnell can be reached at gpinnell@highlandstoday.com or 863-386-5828

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