2021 PAINT THE PAPER PINK

2021 PAINT THE PAPER PINK LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Oct./Nov. 2021 Page 23 time to the very last second, sliding into his chair at the dinner table just as mother was preparing to administer that third bell. Roy did things his own way, in his own time. He pushed the limits and challenged others to do the same, giving more than they knew they were capable of. John said Roy often told him that giving was a blessing and that no one should be denied the privilege of giving. He said he was happy to be part of the auction, and he intended to help auctioneer Maske in pushing the limits of the bidders and allowing them to be blessed by the privilege of giving. When John Logan finished, the mic went back to Smith. New at this year’s auction was the presence of Luminaria from the traditional Relay for Life events. Smith reminded the audience that Relay for Life activities have been suspended. Among the special activities at each Relay event was the presentation of the luminaria. The luminaria event is always a very solemn and reverent activity at the Relay and a time to honor and remember cancer warriors who have passed away. Bill Post and Tonita Reifsteck had joined the Pink Pumpkin Team to implement the luminaria at the auction. Approximately 90 luminaria were sold before the Thursday night event and an addition 30 were sold at the event. The lights were dimmed in the shop area to show the illumination of the bags and a moment of silence was observed in remembrance. When the lights came back up there were a few more words. Just as we have all suffered the hardships of Covid-19, so has the American Cancer Society. In 2020 the organization had to make some tough decisions regarding regional offices and staff. They did so in order to maintain the very important work of financing research, offering support services to cancer warriors and raising awareness of all types of cancer. While the organization lost considerable dollars in 2020, they are still doing what they do best. This year, the ACS has 20 active grants at research hospitals in Illinois alone. The dollars invested in those grants exceeds $13 million. Across the country the ACS is funding 630 research grants with more than $384 million. Continued n