The following is a partial listing. be sure to check with your favorite charity to see what functions they’re sponsoring — or branch out and support one of these.

CANCER

April 13: Relay for Life, Armstrong Stadium, Hampton University;

May 18: Darling Stadium, Hampton.

Relay for Life is a national fundraiser that benefits the American Cancer Society. to date, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities have participated. It’s billed as: “A chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.” the American Cancer Society works to help people get well, stay well, and find cures.

The format involves teams of people who camp out and take turns walking or running around a track/path. Overnight events occur over a 24-hour period. each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times. It starts with an opening ceremony, followed by a survivor lap, a caregiver lap, then an opening lap for all, followed by the lighting of luminaria bags to honor loved ones.

To participate, or to find a Relay near you, go to relayforlife.org.

April 21: Bon Secours is sponsoring a 5K and 1-Mile Fun Walk for Colon Cancer.

On-site registration, at Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View, 5818 Harbour View Blvd., in Suffolk, starts at 8 a.m.; race begins at 9 a.m.

Entry fee is $25; proceeds go to benefit the Bon Secours Foundation Cancer Care Fund.

Register in advance, online at bshr.com/colonrun.

DIABETES

April 21: 18th annual Tour de Cure for the American Diabetes Association.

Bike ride starts at King’s Fork High School, 351 King’s Fork Road, Suffolk for various distances — 10 miles, 30 miles, 65 miles and 100 miles.

In 2011, more than 55,000 cyclists in 80 events nationwide raised more than $18 million to support the mission of the ADA to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. the local fundraising goal is $400,000; $175 minimum to participate..

Contact: Annie Holman, ; 757-424-6662, ext. 3276. Training rides at 11 a.m. on Sundays prior at Bike Beat in Chesapeake, 757-424-6151.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

June 2 and 3: Bike MS: Virginia’s Ocean to Bay Ride 2012.

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and body and stops people from moving. every hour in the United States someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. in all, 400,000 are living with the disease in the United States. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. most diagnoses are in people between ages of 20 and 50.

Typically, more than 800 cyclists participate in this 2-day ride; riders are also welcome to ride on just the Saturday.

Former teacher’s charity hoping to break £100,000 mark

3:30pm Tuesday 15th November 2011

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A charity set up after the death of a Croxley Green school teacher is hoping to break through its £100,000 mark at a fundraising dinner.

the Nicki’s Smile Charitable Fund will be holding the inaugural dinner on Sunday November 20, in Sopwell House, St Albans.

three hundred and thirty people have confirmed attendance, including actress Maureen Lipman, Strictly come Dancing star Rachel Stevens and stand-up comedians, Ian Stone and Mark Maier.

the charity was set up in memory of Nicki Blake, a wife and mother who taught at little Green Junior School in Croxley Green.

she lost her twenty month battle with Neuroendocrine Pancreatic Cancer in November 2010, aged just 33, leaving behind her devoted husband Dan Blake and three-year-old son, Joshua.

mr Blake set up the charitable fund in memory of his wife, together with Pancreatic Cancer UK, to raise money for early diagnosis of the disease.

just over a year before she was diagnosed, Mrs Blake complained of back and abdominal pain and was rushed to A and E.

Doctors did not pick up on the potential warning signs of pancreatic cancer and she was sent home with some anti-inflammatory medication.

A year later, in March 2009, Nicki was diagnosed with an advanced and inoperable form of pancreatic cancer.

with improved understanding of symptoms, doctors could have requested tests which would almost certainly have shown a tumour in the head of her pancreas which could have been operated on.

mr Blake said: “The money we raise will be used to fund vital research into symptoms and early diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer with the aim of improving survival rates and the quality of life of people affected by the disease.

“The goal is to ensure that in the future, pancreatic cancer’s awful survival statistics are improved. better understanding, early diagnosis initiatives and improved treatment options can make this a reality.”

the fundraising dinner falls during the national Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month and it is hoped that after the event, Nicki’s Smile will have raised over £100,000.

mr Blake added: “Nicki never complained about her illness and went about her everyday life as a wife, mother and primary school teacher. If Nicki’s Smile could make a difference to even one person, then her death will not have been in vain,”

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