Bronzed Shoes Help Foot The Bill For Relay For Life

By Nancy K. Crevier

“In the future, when people think about Newtown, we want them to think about the Relay For Life, not just the flagpole or the Christmas events.” So says Guy Russo, who along with his wife, Lynda, and Helen Benson, is co-chairing the 2006 American Cancer Society fundraiser in Newtown.

To that end, Mr Russo, who is in charge of corporate fundraising, travels from business to business, from meeting to meeting, and between houses of worship seeking participation in the overnight walkathon that is scheduled for June 10 to 11, from 7 pm to 7 am, this coming year. When he visits corporations and other organizations to rally support, a pair of bronzed shoes travels with him, a symbol of the walk and a very personal symbol of his dedication to this cause.

The shoes belonged to Mr Russo’s father, who died of lung cancer two days before Christmas in 1997. His father worked for the New York City Transit Authority as a mechanic.

“He was very different from me,” says Mr Russo, a venture capitalist, “but the shoes, which he wore in his garden or around the house, just reminded me of him. You know, ‘Can you fill your father’s shoes?’ I think about what he taught me.”

Lynda Russo had the worn shoes bronzed as a gift to her husband after her father-in-law’s passing. Little did she know that they would become his symbol of the walk against cancer.

Mr Russo’s involvement with the Relay For Life began as an observer in 2003. His mother-in-law, a 40-year breast cancer survivor, took part in the survivor lap.

Says Mr Russo, “To see them [his wife and mother-in-law] embrace at the end of the survivor lap was so moving.” Seeing the number of people in attendance, flooding the high school track and inner field, was a healing and positive experience for him.

The Relay For Life is a nationwide opportunity for communities to take up the fight against cancer. Started in 1985 in Tacoma, Wash., the overnight team event honors cancer survivors, caregivers, and those who have succumbed to cancer.

Teams of eight to 15 members formed by families of those who have been afflicted by cancer, church groups, school groups. and numerous other organizations raise funds through sponsorships and donations and commit to having at least one member of their team walking for the duration of the event. Usually, the Relay For Life takes place on a school or community track. Participating teams camp out overnight, creating an almost festival-like atmosphere as awareness is raised, along with thousands of dollars.

 “My firm has been successful,” he says, “so you’re always looking for the next thing.” He knew that he had found that “next thing” upon taking part in that first Newtown relay. His connections in business could get him in many doors, he knew, and help raise money for what he views as an extremely worthwhile cause.

“Everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer,” he says. When he talks to potential sponsors, his father’s shoes come with him. They serve to personalize the visit. “It’s not just numbers, then. They see I am personally involved. It becomes a personal experience.”

Mr Russo’s approach to fundraising is to design a program that returns value to the corporation, such as advertising. For example, corporate sponsor boards are posted around the perimeter of the high school track throughout the Relay For Life event, and all of the corporate sponsors are listed in one big ad in The Newtown Bee just prior to the affair. “That way, they are supporting a just cause,” says Mr Russo, “but they are receiving something in return.”

Each day, 5,000 people in the United States will go to their doctors and be diagnosed with some form of cancer. The survival rate today is 60 percent, with two-thirds of the cancers being preventable. It is through research funded by dollars raised at events like the Relay For Life that the survival rate climbs every year, states Mr Russo.

In the past two years, the Newtown Relay For Life has raised more than $460,000 and received awards from the American Cancer Society for its efforts. “That’s enough to fund three, three-year grants for research,” Mr Russo explains. “So our town is making a big impact.”

Of the money raised, Mr Russo estimates that only about ten percent is used to offset costs of the relay. “The rest goes to research and assistance for cancer victims, and the services that can make their lives more comfortable.”

He would like to see Newtown make an even bigger impact. The goal for 2006 is for 110 teams to raise $350,000, and by the time the Newtown Relay For Life has become a town fixture, he would like to see it pull in as much each year as Cheshire now does: $500,000. “Newtown is capable of it,” he emphasizes. “We need to create a sense of urgency. We need to do more. There are still a lot of people not involved in this town. We need more of the traditional people — politicians, religious leaders — to get involved. We have great support from the town, but we want to extend it more.”

He invites anyone who is interested in learning more about the June Relay For Life to attend the organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 4, at 7 pm, in the lecture hall of Newtown High School. Teams of eight or more who have already organized can register and sign up for campsites that evening, as well. The following meeting, Wednesday, February 1, will take place in the cafeteria of the Newtown Middle School at 7 pm. That meeting, complete with food donated by area businesses, will kickoff fundraising ideas for the teams. Plenty of support for those new to the process will be offered there by veteran teams and by Mr Russo, whose fundraising finesse has landed him a spot at the American Cancer Society’s Best Practices Conference in Dallas January 27.

“People are creative about fundraising,” says Mr Russo. “Some teams hold parties, or ice skating at the Danbury rink or wine tastings to raise money. We’re pushing this year for online fundraising. You can compare how well your team is doing to another.”

One of the lessons Mr Russo learned from his father at the Sunday dinner table was about the gift of love. He will take that lesson with him, and the shoes, as he continues his quest for sponsorships. In the hope that one day the Relay For Life will no longer be necessary, that cancer becomes a footnote in the annals of history, Mr Russo forges onward.

Holding the bronzed shoes close to his heart, he says, “Parents want a better life for their children. Part of that is a world without cancer.”