Getting 'Flocked' Is for Good Cause
Fundraiser Benefits County's Relay for Life Cancer Program

Debi and Les Therrian were the first St. Ignace residents to be "flocked" by the Mackinac County Relay for Life program Wednesday, July 11. Plastic pink flamingos are placed in a person's yard with instructions to donate $10 to the Relay for Life program to have them removed. That person then gets to choose who will be "flocked" next. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

If you find a group of plastic pink flamingos in your yard one day, you have been "flocked." Do not fret, they are harmless and they are there for a good cause, as they are the newest fundraising idea by Mackinac County's Relay for Life program.

The person who is "flocked" can donate $10 toward Relay for Life and call Mary Cullen to have the flock removed. That person then gets to choose who will be "flocked" next, and, for $25, he or she can purchase "anti-flocking" insurance, which ensures a person cannot "flock" them in return.

The county's Relay for Life fundraising committee is divided into nine teams this year. Mrs. Cullen is a team captain for one of them.

The teams are fundraising for the American Cancer Society up until the Relay for Life walk in St. Ignace at the LaSalle High School track, starting at 1 p.m. Friday, July 27. The event will continue until 1 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Everyone is welcome at the event, which features games, food, and children's activities. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

At the relay, each team is responsible for keeping at least one walker on the track throughout the 24-hour event.

"Cancer never sleeps, so our teams never sleep for this event," said Mrs. Cullen.

Her team has already reached its fundraising goal of $3,000 for the year through sponsorship from local businesses and from selling colorful bead bracelets made by Mrs. Cullen, however, they now hope to raise another $1,500 within the next two weeks.

Mrs. Cullen decided to try the "flocking" fundraiser after reading about it in a Relay for Life publication.

Mackinac County's Relay for Life raised $37,000 last year.

To join a Relay for Life team and participate in the walking event, to sponsor a team, or to purchase a $10 candle luminaria in honor or in memory of a loved one, call Tammy Massaway at 643-8164 or the American Cancer Society's Upper Peninsula office at (800) 469- 0149.