The annual Spring Fling Dance at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fleetwood, Saturday, April 12, offered a night of fun, dancing and a few tears.
While on the surface, 40 attendees enjoyed dancing to a mix of music by DJ Randy Schlegel, underneath was an emotional mix of tears, fears, and hope. The dance was one of several events held by the church this year in a battle to fight cancer.
Joyce Dietrich, sponsorship chairperson for Relay For Life of Kutztown and team captain for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, has led her team of approximately 20 volunteers on several fundraising events for the Cancer Society’s annual Relay For Life. This major fundraising event honors cancer survivors and remembers those who have fallen. The money raised is used for research and to help cancer victims.
Cindy Tobias, experienced lead/coordinator as well as St. Paul’s team member, makes the time to get involved.
With tears in her eyes and a little choked up, she said, “I have a lot of family members who passed away from cancer. My husband’s dad passed away from Leukemia. I have a lot of friends; it’s like everywhere,” said Tobias. “So anyway, finding a cure and doing this is very important to me.”
Tobias said they try to do an event every other month. In the end, when the money they worked hard for is turned in, she hopes it means something to somebody else. St. Paul’s team’s goal is $13,000.
Dietrich said their most popular fundraiser is their bowling night with more than 180 attendees this year.
“We get so many people from the church. We get friends and relatives and everybody has a good time. We have a Chinese auction during the bowling too and everybody looks forward to the bowling; every year they ask about it,” said Dietrich.
Another favorite is the Sweet Street Desserts sale with the Oreo dream bar being the favorite sweet. This year the team raised $1,100 just from the decadent treats alone.
“It’s a team effort because everybody on our team is like a big family. There’s just a lot of support from the church and it’s so much fun doing it because everybody is like in sync with everybody. One person knows exactly almost what the other person wants to do and they help out each other and it’s great,” said Dietrich.
“Joyce does a wonderful job. She’s very dedicated and she is a person to be admired and I want to be just like her because she’s so brave with everything,” said Donna Ebeling.
Dietrich was a cancer survivor for several years and then fought another battle with cancer in 2014. Although she said it was really hard, she still put the effort into leading her team through the various events.
Ebeling, also a cancer survivor, said she discovered a dark spot in a tiny mole on the back of her arm.
“I thought to myself, hmmm, maybe I should get this checked, but then you know you have that conversation with yourself like, ohhhhh you can’t be running to the doctor for everything, but I went,” said Ebeling.
That tiny little spot turned out to be melanoma. Ebeling said it was by the hand of God that she discovered it early.
“I just admire everyone who is here supporting Joyce and helping with this. That’s my whole emotion is admiration for all of this,” said Ebeling. “I got to tell you as soon as I got my diagnosis Joyce and Bobby were immediately at our house. We have another friend who is a long-time cancer survivor; he was with us immediately. I mean people who go through it know how scary it is and they’re all there for you.”
Brenda and Donald Kirby go to most everything the church sponsors. Her former mother-in-law, Gwendolyn Ziegler, went through a radical mastectomy in 1972 and survived. She bought industrialized rolls of pure cotton and padded her bras because there wasn’t any prosthesis for her. Donald’s mother, Naomi Kirby, also a cancer survivor, received medication and focused radiation. Surgery wasn’t necessary in her case. Donald said his grandmother, Betty Wagner, a character with flavor, had cancer and his sister, Charlotte Kirby, Bernville, is a cancer survivor.
“When you have friends and family that have been affected by it [cancer] you realize how important it is,” said Donald Kirby referring to the fundraising events.
“I started doing this right after our youngest son lost his best friend to cancer in fifth grade,” said Karin Sherman, food tent committee member and member of St. Paul’s Relay team. “He really supported him so it made us feel like we should be doing more to support people who are going through this.”
Sherman said so many people are touched by cancer and there is so much that the money can do for research and everything. She feels the treatments have gotten so much better with a higher survival rate. Sherman, a consulting nurse for long-term care facilities, usually sees people at the end who have fought hard. She herself just lost her sister-in-law, Kathy Sherman, to cancer last October.
St. Paul’s final fundraiser for Relay 2015 is a yard sale on May 16 in the church’s parking lot. People can donate or set up their own stand for minimal charge. Another Relay team, Boyer’s Busy B’s, will be joining the sale with a used bookstand.
With a goal of raising $160,000, Relay For Life of Kutztown begins Friday, May 29, and ends Saturday, May 30, at Kutztown University. The entertainment features a variety of musicians. There will be jazz with Charlie Schaeffer and Carl Zepplin, inspirational music by Erin Martin, choir director for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the progressive rock band, Honor, country music by the Drunkenmiller’s, and pianist/vocalist, Jim Meck.
Also, there will be Mentalist Jesse Dameron, who specializes in influencing thoughts to entertain audiences, putting on a show open to anyone and everyone on May 30 at 11 a.m.
Since carnival is this year’s theme, there will be jugglers and possibly stilt walkers. Tobias said they could always use volunteers and that they are greatly appreciated.
“We’re having two very special things this year,” said Tobias. “We’re trying to get more people to know what Relay is and really to let people know how much we appreciate everything they do for us so at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 29, we are having a special lap just for people who have sponsored us. On Saturday, 10 a.m., we are having another special lap which is for volunteers in the community because we as volunteers know how hard they work,” said Tobias.
If you would like to rent a table for St. Paul’s yard sale or make a donation, contact Joyce Dietrich at 610-926-1768 or at jdowls@ptd or Cindy Tobias at 610-944-0636 or at clvtobias@verizon.net.
