Maricopa barks for cancer awareness

By Trisha Paige

According to the American Cancer Society, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.  For the past eight years, Maricopa has been doing its part to try to bring that number down by participating in the Relay For Life of Maricopa.

Relay For Life is the single largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and has been hosted in many cities all over the country and even internationally.  Throughout the years, our community’s event alone has raised well over $350,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Though Relay For Life of Maricopa is still our cities largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society they have decided to branch out for the dog lovers in our city.  A new feeder event is in the works for Maricopa called Bark For Life.  This event will take place in and around the dog park at Copper Sky Recreational Complex on Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hosting this event will make Maricopa stand out in the cancer fighting crowd. In 2017 there were only two active Bark For Life events in the entire state of Arizona, neither one in Pinal County.  The Rely For Life of Maricopa committee hopes that this event will be the first in a long line of outside the box ideas to bring Cancer awareness to our city.

The registration fee will include an event bandana for your dog, entry into several contests for prizes and a luminaria bag that can be decorated and displayed at the Relay For Life of Maricopa event on Nov. 3 also at Copper Sky.  Among other things, there will be food trucks, pet related vendor tables, contests, demonstrations and pet adoptions. Proceeds will all go to the American Cancer Society by way of the Relay For Life of Maricopa.

If you would like additional information about volunteering or registering, go to the event website at www.relayforlife.org/BarkMaricopaAZ or contact Rio Hicks or Kevin Paige at [email protected].