A less-than-winter-wonderland didn’t deter folks from enjoying the local wilderness for a good cause at Saturday’s 38th annual Tony Dolan Memorial Ski for Cancer.
“We made just over $21,000,” said organizer Betsy Eschrich. “It was good. We were really happy with it.”
The event was first organized by Eschrich’s father, Tony Dolan, in 1979.
“We didn’t really have enough snow to ski,” said Eschrich, though she noted a couple of people tried. Knowing Mother Nature might not cooperate with would-be-skiers, the event’s organizers invited people to hike the Kinzua Valley Trail in Westline or even just come out for the pig roast and live music at the Westline Inn.
It was a “nice day” and a “nice turnout,” Eschrich said, noting that about 110 had registered, and she estimated there was around that many that did not register but attended. “It was busy all day with people.”
While she thinks there were a few less people than at last year’s event, the money raised was “right in the same ballpark.”
Event organizers kept track of the participants — both teams and individuals — who raised the most money.
The top three teams were, in first, Team Gazdak, $1,366; second, Kane Educators, $901; and Mount Jewett Memorial Club, $891. Top individuals were, in first, Randy Walb, $3,845; and in second, Betsy Escrich’s daughter, Kayelyn Eschrich, $3,809.
The top money-raisers, along with many of the other participants, are people who “pretty much every year are good supporters of our event. Everybody who comes are great people. The pig roast was busy all day.” Members of The No Name Trio with guest Lisa Platko entertained the crowd.
The money raised benefits the American Cancer Society, which will use the donation to help both local cancer patients as well as to support research, according to Anna-Marie Labowski, the society’s local community manager of special events.
She applauded the efforts of the volunteers who put on the event. “They do a wonderful job.”
“The American Cancer Society does a lot of different things,” Labowski said. “We’re trying to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.” Being a large organization, the society can focus on both the short-term goal of assisting individual cancer patients and the long-term goal of finding ways to treat it.
Local programs include the transportation program in which volunteers in Bradford will drive patients to and from treatment. Not only can McKean County residents get transportation locally, but arrangements can be made for appointments to places in Buffalo, N.Y., Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Ohio.
To help women who have lost their hair due to treatment, there are free wigs available in the society’s wig salon; also, it has a program with Pantene in which women can donate hair to be used for human hair wigs to give to cancer patients, Labowski said.
She also talked about the American Cancer Society’s Look Good Feel Better program, in which women with cancer meet in small groups to learn tips for caring for skin, nails, hair and make-up. The group also provides a social connection,” Labowski noted.
There is a cancer information line, too, that is available at all times of day, every day, she said. Anyone can call anytime to ask any cancer-related questions. This can include information on anything from reducing cancer risk and getting screening tests to finding resources, treatments and information on coping with side effects. The line “can put them in contact with local resources.”
The information line is “a great, great resource. A lot of times, what (new cancer patients) need the most is information.” She said it’s not unusual for new patients to think of questions when they are awake at night, unable to sleep. “We have people that will call in the middle of the night, wondering about something a doctor said.”
“Eventually, what we want is to eliminate this disease so people don’t have to hear the words ‘you have cancer,’” she said.
For anyone looking for more information about cancer, Labowski pointed to the American Cancer Society’s website, www.cancer.org. “There’s a ton of information on our website.”
