An Emotional And Rewarding Experience

To the Editor:

For the second year in a row, I had the wonderful experience of participating in the Newtown Relay for Life on June 11 and 12. It was an emotional and rewarding experience for all. As a captain of the Sandy Hook Crusaders, I would like to thank our team sponsor, Mike Kerler, owner of Sandy Hook Wine & Liquors, for his wonderful support and donations. We appreciate all that he did and look forward to working with him as our sponsor in future Relays. I would also like to thank Jenni, Alex, and Mac Sullivan and Betsy and Dan Krauss. These individuals, while not officially team members, took it upon themselves to raise funds on behalf of our team. We are looking forward to having them as official team members next year.

What an amazing group of children we had on our team, all of which should be commended. Not only did they behave in a way all parents would be proud of, they worked for months fundraising to help reach our team goal of $5,000. Sara Hetzer, Emma Cianci, Alana Fridfertig, and Jacob Eventoff, thank you for all you did. You should all be proud of your accomplishments.

A special thank you goes out to the Praxair Foundation for their very generous donation as well as to all individuals and businesses who donated to the cause. With your help the Sandy Hook Crusaders raised over $6,900. Every individual who participated on our team did an exceptional job and I would personally like to thank them from my heart! It is a pleasure working with such individuals and I look forward to participating in future Relays!

Joann Hetzer

24 Beechwood Drive, Sandy Hook                                 June 21, 2005