By B.C. Manion
Volunteers will be recruited April 1 at the Relay for Life in Zephyrhills to participate in a major study being conducted by the American Cancer Society.
The Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) is a long-term study that aims to help researchers to better understand the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that can cause or prevent cancer.
Previous research efforts by the American Cancer Society have had significant impacts. Those studies confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, demonstrated the link between larger waist size and increased death rates from cancer and other causes, and showed the considerable impact of air pollution on heart and lung conditions.
The cancer society’s Analytic Epidemiology research program is recruiting about 300,000 men and women across the United States and Puerto Rico to take part in the CPS-3.
Zephyrhills is one of 10 sites in Florida where volunteers are being recruited in 2011, said Ebonee Pope, the CPS-3 coordinator for the American Cancer Society.
Recruitment efforts for the study began in 2006 and will continue through 2013, she said.
Zephyrhills was selected because of its demographics and its consistent support of American Cancer Society efforts, Pope said.
Student participants must be between 30 and 65 years old. They also must be willing to make a long-term commitment to the project, Pope said.
The study is open only to people who have not been diagnosed with cancer — with the exception of basil or squamous cell skin cancer, she said.
Those wishing to volunteer will be able to sign up at a tent, from 6-10 p.m., at the Zephyrhills Relay for Life at Zephyrhills High School, 6335 12th St., in Zephyrhills.
Those signing up will be required to submit a blood sample, which will be drawn at the site, Pope said. A measurement also will be taken of the participant’s waist, she said. They also will report their height and weight, she said.
Study participants also will be asked to fill out a survey to provide baseline information about their lifestyle and other factors related to health, she said.
After the initial questionnaire is completed, follow-up surveys will be sent every few years to those taking part in the study, Pope said. Participants also will receive annual newsletters to inform them about ongoing research efforts.
Keri Everlove White, director of development for Florida Medical Clinic’s Foundation of Caring, is chairing the Zephyrhills CPS-3 effort.
Lizzy Mead, a Lutz-based community representative for the American Cancer Society, also will be playing an instrumental role in signing up people to take part.
Organizers hope to recruit 160 to 190 study participants at the Zephyrhills event, White said. It shouldn’t take more than 20 or 30 minutes to get registered, she said.
The study will be tracking participants for 20 to 30 years.
“The study is looking at your genetics, your environment, what you eat,” White said.
The Foundation of Caring will provide 13 volunteers to register volunteers for the study, White said, noting the organization is a huge supporter of the American Cancer Society.
Recruiting volunteers for the long-term study is just one element of the Zephyrhills Relay for Life, both Mead and White said.
“The relay itself is a huge community awareness event,” White said. Those attending the event will have a chance to learn about various types of cancer and recommended screenings.
The event does raise money, but it’s more than just a fundraiser, Mead said. It is also about community and about expressing passion for a cause, Mead said.
Relay for Life brings survivors, caregivers and community volunteers together, Mead said, noting this year’s Relay for Life in Zephyrhills is expected to draw about 1,000 people, including nearly 200 team members and captains, and about 200 cancer survivors.
Mead said the overarching themes for Relay for Life are: “Celebrate. Remember. Fight back.”
Each individual Relay for Life also has its own theme, she said. In Zephyrhills, the theme is “Cartoons” and the slogan for the event is “An April Fool’s Relay: Cancer is no Joke.”
Teams register and pay a $100 commitment fee, which gives them a campsite and a campsite theme, White said.
The event has its solemn moments, when those who have succumbed to cancer are remembered, Mead said. But it also has an air of celebration, too, when people celebrate the gains that have been made in the battle.
“There is music. There are games. There is food,” Mead said. “It’s a big, carnival-like atmosphere.”
The goal is to raise $73,000 through the Zephyrhills Relay for Life, Mead said.
Teams raise money by selling various items at their booths, including coffee, energy drinks and boiled peanuts.
“Come out and have dinner,” White suggested.
Or, just come out to take part, White said. A donation is not required, she said. “Come out and just walk.”
Or, she suggested, “come out and have dinner.”
The event begins at 5 p.m. on April 1 and ends at 11 a.m. the following day.
The reason the event goes on through the night is symbolic, Mead said.
“Cancer doesn’t sleep, so why should we?” Mead said.
Zephyrhills Relay for Life, April 1-2
5 p.m. Survivors and their caregivers are invited to a dinner. (Please pre-register by calling (813) 949-0291, Ext. 5609 or go to www.relayforlife.org/zephyrhillsfl
6 p.m. Opening ceremony: Survivors take the first lap, followed by each team taking their own lap.
9 p.m.: Luminarias are lit, generators are shut off and the entire stadium is quiet for the “Time to Remember” lap, which honors those who have lost the battle to cancer.
11 p.m. The general public leaves and teams continue to walk through the night.
11 a.m., April 2: Closing ceremony
Upcoming relays in area communities
/Relay for Life of Land O’ Lakes, Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane, Land O’ Lakes, April 15
/Relay for Life of Sunlake High, 3023 Sunlake Blvd., Land O’ Lakes Blvd., April 29
/Relay for Life of Wiregrass, Wiregrass Ranch High, 2909 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, April 29
/Relay for Life of Trinity, J.W. Mitchell High, 2323 Little Road, Trinity, April 29
/Relay for Life of San Antonio, San Antonio City Park, 12750 Oak St., April 30
/Relay for Life of Wesley Chapel, Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel, May 6
/Relay for Life of Lutz, Steinbrenner High, 5575 W. Lutz-Lake Fern Road in Lutz, May 13
