Residents flocking to Relay for Life

CADILLAC - Have you been flamingoed?

That's the jargon being used for a fund-raising project sponsored by the DNR/DEQ Relay for Life team.

Team captain Susan Sandell said that their fund raising efforts have doubled this year, largely due to the flamingos.

Relay For Life is a team event. Teams representing local business, social organizations and church groups compete with each other to travel the most miles and raise the most money.

"The flamingos were an idea we got from one of our divisions in Charlotte," explained Diane Doubrava, a team member who has helped place the plastic birds around town.

A flock of twenty pink flamingos are placed or 'nested' on an unsuspecting person's lawn. Instructions tied to the bird's neck inform the homeowner that someone has made a donation in their name to the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life. The flamingos will be removed immediately for a $20 donation.

Doubrava said that initially they worried about people's reactions to having pink flamingos placed on their lawns.

"What if this doesn't take off?" they wondered after ordering the flamingos from a novelty catalog. "What if it just doesn't happen?"

But the birds have been flying around the Cadillac area non-stop since their first landing.

"We have had 24 landings," she said, which has raised $480. "One lady didn't know who we were but she loved them! She wanted to know how to put them in someone else's yard."

"Some people are tickled and think it's so funny," Sandell agreed. "It's been a successful fund-raiser for our team."

The cause is especially close to Diane Doubrava's heart. She participates each year in raising money for cancer research because she has been hard-hit by the disease. Her mother is a cancer survivor, but two of her aunts, her Godmother and her sister were not as fortunate. Recently she lost her dearest friend to cancer.

To call the Flamingo Hotline, call 231-775-3960 ext. 6312 or extension 6400.

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