Preferred Health Care Services, Leisureworld join Relay for Life Members wanted for first-ever team to raise funds for cancer   Tuesday June 1, 2010 -- Lisa Bailey Preferred Health Care Services and Leisureworld are forming teams for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. About eight or nine staff members from Preferred Health Care Services’ Richmond Hill head office have already signed, with a goal of registering 50 for the annual fundraiser. Leisureworld also has a team, called Leisureworld Legs. The Preferred Pacers will be the company’s first-ever entry in the relay, but Preferred Health Care Services has thrown its support behind other cancer-fighting efforts. Debra Sayewich, director of marketing, says staff members have joined her friends and family members on Rosey’s Team, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars by taking part in the CIBC’s Run for the Cure in aid of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Named for two of Sayewich’s family members afflicted with breast cancer, Rosey’s Team raised more than $44,000 last year and was the No. 1 family and friends team across Canada. “Cancer affects so many of us, and in our office and at Leisureworld, they’ve been supporting Rosey’s Team for the last three years, so this is something that we can do to reach out for everybody participating,” Sayewich says of the Relay for Life effort. Set for June 18 and 19 at Richmond Hill’s Richmond Green park, the relay features teams of people taking turns walking, running or wheeling around a course for 12 hours. Participants camp at the site where they enjoy entertainment, as well as camaraderie. Held in hundreds of communities across Canada, the overnight, non-competitive relay brings people together to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and fight back against the disease. “We’re going to have a great time,” Sayewich says, adding that Preferred Health Care Services staff members show great spirit. For example, some Preferred Health Care Services staff have joined the Pacers after taking part in a pedometer walk challenge issued by Preferred’s workplace wellness team. Sayewich, who chairs the team, says the goal of symbolically walking across Canada has been met and surpassed. “It’s been exciting and it’s been fun, and that has led to preparation for the Relay for Life,” Sayewich says. She hopes the Pacers will be able to raise between $3,000 and $5,000 in pledges, but says the emphasis in on “everybody doing the best that they can in terms of fundraising.” Each team member pays a $10 registration fee which helps cover the cost of a T-shirt as well as food. Anyone interested in registering for the Preferred Pacers can contact Debra Sayewich or Darla Wilson Branco, team lead for client care specialists, at Preferred Health Care Office at 905-771-2765. Or, contact Attiya Fazal at 905-477-4006 to register for the Leisureworld Legs. If you have feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.