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Volunteer Activities

Prostate Cancer Activities

As a prostate cancer survivor, I am committed to using my skills, experience and energy to raise awareness about prostate cancer and help other men deal with the issues associated with the disease. Some of my activities include:

• I serve on a Prostate Cancer Awareness Task Force of the local unit of the American Cancer Society. The mission of the Task Force is to reach men and women with information about prevention methods, the importance of regular testing and check-ups, early diagnosis, treatment options and follow-up.

  Task Force activities include:

  1. Public seminars where cancer survivors share our experiences and physicians present the medical aspects of prostate cancer.
  2. Creation of a resource center where people have access to books, articles, pamphlets and videos about prostate cancer.
  3. Brief talks by cancer survivors and physicians at corporate meetings, men's groups and other places where we urge men to get regular PSA tests and check-ups.
  4. Television and radio interviews where we have the opportunity to discuss prostate cancer issues and, again, encourage men to participate in regular screenings.
• I am a Man to Man volunteer. Man to Man is a program of the American Cancer Society that offers men who were recently diagnosed the opportunity to talk with a trained prostate cancer survivor. Functioning like a peer counselor, I have talked with many men, providing them with both information and a "sounding board" to express their concerns and feelings about their situation.
• Along with my son, Michael I participated in the FORTUNE 5K Fight Against Prostate Cancer, a 5K run in New York City's Central Park. Donations by sponsors helped me raise money for the Prostate Cancer Initiative of the Cancer Research Institute.
• I completed the Five Mile Fight Against Prostate Cancer on Father's Day 2002 in Central Park. I raised more than $1,000 for the Prostate Cancer Initiative of the Cancer Research Institute. The photo above depicts my joy in having finished a five-mile run on my feet!
• The Five Mile Run Against Prostate Cancer inspired me to try a similar event in New Jersey. Along with Frank Simms, my friend and fellow survivor, we had a dream and a vision of a major event that would give prostate cancer the attention we believed it deserved but had not received, even from the American Cancer Society.
• So, in the fall of 2002 we began the research and exploration that eventually gave birth to what we later came to call RUN FOR DAD. During this time, I made contact with a wonderful woman in upstate New York named Lisa Casey who had already created the name and developed a very clever logo for an event for runners calle RUN FOR DAD. Lisa loved our ideas and graciously agreed to allow us to use the name/logo. The year 2003 saw the first event take place on Father's Day in Mercer County Park, a beautiful venue in central New Jersey. RUN FOR DAD has continued to grow and get better every year.

RUN FOR DAD 2007

Once again we had another record-breaking event with some 1,500 participants including walkers, runners, children, prostate cancer survivors, volunteers and sponsors.  We netted some $25,000, most which goes to support a prostate cancer research project in New Jersey.  A portion of these funds pays for screenings that we co-sponsor with Capital Health System, a local health care provider.  In 2007 we sponsored one public screening in a local barber shop, another at an out-patient facility of the hospital and still another at the Trane Company, a local employer.  The 2007 Run for Dad was also our first year to include a KIDS ZONE, an area devoted to fun activities for the young children that come out with the families to celebrate Father's Day.  The KIDS ZONE included a face painter, clown who entertained the kids with balloon animals, the mascot from Horizon Blue Cross as well as some Father's Day craft projects.  The photo below shows Erin Penney of Second Look Painting, one of great KIDS ZONE volunteers, doing her thing with one of many young people who helped us celebrate Father's Day and raise awareness about the importance of prostate cancer screening for men.

RUN FOR DAD 2006

We continue to top ourselves each year as we learn how better to both reach out to new groups and and effectively manage all aspects of the event. This year some 1,200 runners, walkers, children, volunteers, sponsors and friends participated in some way in the 2006 RUN FOR DAD.The RUN FOR DAD team, co-chaired by Sue Kirkland and me, set some challenging goals in targeting specific groups such as survivors, walkers, runners and African American men, . Althought the final numbers are not yet available, we know that we more than doubled the number of prostate cancer survivors to about 60 men and significantly increased the number of African American men and their families. We added entertainment for the children with a face painter and two jugglers that were a big hit. Music was provided by radio station 97.5 The Hawk, a classic rock station that also ran PSAs for RUN FOR DAD for one month preceding Father's Day. Additional music was provided by a wonderful DJ, Lu Ann Russell. More attention was given to prostate cancer education and awareness, specically emphasizing the importance of screening and early detection.

The photo below depicts the variety of RUN FOR DAD participants as well as some important supporters and people in my life: my son, Michael, his dog, Cassie, Marla Kleinberg, Michael's girlfriend, Emily Schwartz, my granddaughter and Emily's friend, Ally.

RUN FOR DAD 2005

RUN FOR DAD 2005 was our most successful event yet with more than 1,000 people participating in the run, walk, kids races and related activities. The number of sponsors increased and the total amount of money jumped as we raised more funds and received more donations of services (e.g., printing) resulting an increase in the level of our support for a prostate cancer research project in New Jersey. Unfortunately, 2005 also saw the passing of my friend and colleague, Frank Simms, who lost his long battle with prostate cancer. However, Frank's wife, Dot, and members of his large, extended family, stepped up to challenge of carrying on his work in raising awareness about the importance of screening and early detection of prostate cancer.

Pictured below is one of the short races for children, a 25-yard sprint for four and five year olds (that's my granddaughter, Emily, in the pink sweatshirt). Notice that all the children are # 1

RUN FOR DAD 2004

RUN FOR DAD 2004 was another successful event with again more than 700 men, women and children participating on a beautiful Father's Day morning. In addition, to the many participants we were pleased to have many organizational sponsors contributing to the event. Corporate sponsors such as Novartis Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wachovia Financial Services and Cytogen were joined by health care organizations such as Capital Health System and the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Caner Center. The reach of our awareness activities was extented to thousands of others via a media campaign that resulted in numerous articles about RUN FOR DAD and prostate cancer in many local newspapers. MCS, a public relations firm, contributed a major media campaign to RUN FOR DAD. While awareness was our primary goal, the event also resulted in a grant of some $20,000 to support an on-going prostate cancer research project. Here I am pictured with my friend, Frank Simms, one of the other founders of RUN FOR DAD and Chairperson of the Mercer County (NJ) Prostate Cancer Awareness Task Force of the American Cancer Society.

RUN FOR DAD 2003

I served as facilitator of a team that planned and implenented the first RUN FOR DAD, an event designed to raise awareness about prostate cancer in men and highlight the importance of screening and early detection. The event took place on Father's Day 2003 in a beautiful park in central New Jersey and included a 5K run, a 2 mile walk and short races for kids. More than 700 people turned out, including more 100 children and some 35 prostate cancer survivors. Some of the survivors are pictured here at the start of the 2 mile walk.