Cook participates in Relay for Life
By Adam Jerome, I-O Reporter
Over the past few months local woman, Ruth Cook has been raising money for the Relay for Life in Hamilton. The event is scheduled for June 27 and is a great way to raise money for cancer.
Cook knows firsthand the importance of charities like this one, as she herself is a cancer survivor for eight and a half years now.
One of the great things about Relay for Life is that all of the money raised will stay in the state of Montana. As she puts it, “What I really like about Relay for Life is that the money is used for the nuts and bolts of cancer treatment. The money helps out with medications and travel expenses for people battling cancer.”
The Relay for Life event will take place at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton. The theme for this year’s walk is “Step Up to the Plate and Fight Cancer”
The goal for the event is for a team comprised of anywhere from three to twenty members to continuously walk around a quarter of a mile track for 12 hours. At any given time during the event at least one team member must be walking at all times.
Cook is part of the New Hope team, which is comprised of her, her son Jay from Great Falls, her son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Tina of Hamilton, and four other members from Jason and Tina’s church in Hamilton. The New Hope team is sponsored by Cook’s son Jason’s business, BYR Plumbing.
The walk will begin at 6 p.m. on June 27 and last until 6 a.m. on June 28. During the relay there will be various other fundraising activities in the middle of the track. The New Hope team is putting together a dunk tank to do their part.
The town of Hamilton has graciously provided food and refreshments for the participants.
After the relay is over there will be a group photo of the surviving cancer patients that participated.
Another neat part of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony. After the sun has set on June 27 votive candles will be displayed around the track in honor of loved ones that have battled cancer.
Cook has been selling these Luminaria bags to individuals in the Conrad area. On the bag a person is able to write the name of a loved one living or deceased who battled cancer and decorate the bag as they see fit. Their names will be displayed proudly as the Relay for Life participants round the track.
So far, Cook has raised over $700 herself, with her team bringing in $1,400 to date.
Last year Cook walked over 19 miles in the 12 hour period and hopes to do more this year.
In preparation Cook has been walking a couple of miles each morning.
Relay for Life is a great way for people like Cook to give back and also show that the diagnosis is just the beginning, not the end of the rest of your life.
RELAY FOR LIFE Ruth Cook helps Chelsey Anderson fill out a Luminaria bag for Cooks upcoming Relay for Life event in Hamilton. Cook has raised over $700 so far. The event will take place on June 27. I-O Photo by Barb Endler
Cook knows firsthand the importance of charities like this one, as she herself is a cancer survivor for eight and a half years now.
One of the great things about Relay for Life is that all of the money raised will stay in the state of Montana. As she puts it, “What I really like about Relay for Life is that the money is used for the nuts and bolts of cancer treatment. The money helps out with medications and travel expenses for people battling cancer.”
The Relay for Life event will take place at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton. The theme for this year’s walk is “Step Up to the Plate and Fight Cancer”
The goal for the event is for a team comprised of anywhere from three to twenty members to continuously walk around a quarter of a mile track for 12 hours. At any given time during the event at least one team member must be walking at all times.
Cook is part of the New Hope team, which is comprised of her, her son Jay from Great Falls, her son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Tina of Hamilton, and four other members from Jason and Tina’s church in Hamilton. The New Hope team is sponsored by Cook’s son Jason’s business, BYR Plumbing.
The walk will begin at 6 p.m. on June 27 and last until 6 a.m. on June 28. During the relay there will be various other fundraising activities in the middle of the track. The New Hope team is putting together a dunk tank to do their part.
The town of Hamilton has graciously provided food and refreshments for the participants.
After the relay is over there will be a group photo of the surviving cancer patients that participated.
Another neat part of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony. After the sun has set on June 27 votive candles will be displayed around the track in honor of loved ones that have battled cancer.
Cook has been selling these Luminaria bags to individuals in the Conrad area. On the bag a person is able to write the name of a loved one living or deceased who battled cancer and decorate the bag as they see fit. Their names will be displayed proudly as the Relay for Life participants round the track.
So far, Cook has raised over $700 herself, with her team bringing in $1,400 to date.
Last year Cook walked over 19 miles in the 12 hour period and hopes to do more this year.
In preparation Cook has been walking a couple of miles each morning.
Relay for Life is a great way for people like Cook to give back and also show that the diagnosis is just the beginning, not the end of the rest of your life.
Planning contract approved
MINOR BOO BOO We all make a mistake now and then and who ever put the hunter orange, high visibility access, signs together for Busch Ag showing an alternate route to take to the Busch Ag elevators while road construction is going on made a good one by forgetting to add the C to the company name. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
He will receive $475 per month for services to the county concerning local and use decisions and compliance with the Montana Subdivision and Survey laws.
The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Cynthia Johnson and seconded by Joe Christiaens.
In other business, it was moved to approve the Montana Association of Counties Workers’ compensation Trust Agent Appointment/Service Agreement appointing Northern Montana Insurance as the county’s agent representative and Pat Greany as the agent’s designated liaison with the county and trust.
The commission approved an agreement with the State Department of Health and Human Services whereby the formula for state reimbursement for these services is changed to comply with Montana law.
This deals with sanitation inspection services.
Two right-of-way forage removal agreements were approved, one requested by Ray Denney for the north and south sides of the Pondera Coulee Rd., between the Price and Mouleson School roads and the other requested by Mike Koenig for both sides of the Derby Road, parts of Healey Spring Road and Midway West Road.
Commissioner Johnson moved to appoint Jaynie Gollehon and to reappoint Karla Styren to the Pondera Medical Center board of directors.
Both appointments are for three year terms. Commissioner Christiaens gave it a second and the motion carried.
The commissioners received a letter from the Dupuyer TV district board requesting that “the assessment be taken off the districts’ tax roll and dissolved.”
It was moved to remove the assessment, beginning with the 2009 tax year and to research the dissolution process.
This motion passed.
Local fire fighters attend convention
VENTING Fireman Keith Hruska practices venting a roof with a chain saw while Dave Richardson and Joel Farkell look on. Roof venting is part of the CVFDs weekly training. The training house was donated by D. Richardson. Photo courtesy of the CVFD
This year’s convention was in Hamilton. The Convention’s theme was “Montana Fire Service – Motivating From Within” and was hosted by the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department.
Chief Kevin Moritz, Keith Hruska, Joel Farkell, and retired fireman Carroll Klette attended the business meetings and trainings. The firemen attended a basic fire investigation class, toured the new Fire Service Training School Smoke Trailer, and met with various fire fighting equipment vendors to get updated on what’s new. Hruska and Farkell even went up in the basket of Hamilton’s 100 foot ladder truck for a spectacular view.
The main training session highlighted Montana’s major fire incidents.
Chief Lance Taylor of the Worden Fire Department gave a presentation on the Huntley School Fire. Chief Taylor went through step by step how his department and others handled the fire from the first call through mop up. The Chief provided numerous pictures of the entire life of the fire. He discussed what they did right and what they did wrong and fielded questions from the audience.
Chief Jason Shrauger of the Bozeman Fire Department gave a similar presentation on the natural gas explosion in downtown Bozeman.
Chief Shrauger provided both audio clips and pictures from the whole incident. He went over how their department worked with the police and sheriff department, ambulance personal, and the city water personal. Shrauger stated that when it was all said and done his department used 4.7 million gallons of water.
While the firemen were in meetings and trainings the spouses (Colleen Moritz, Helen Hruska, Kody Farkell, and Gayle Klette) had their own agenda.
Friday was filled with a shopping poker run around Hamilton and then a bus tour to Chief Victor Days in Victor for more shopping. Saturday consisted of an open shopping period in the morning and then “fun and games” in the afternoon.
The finale of the weekend was Saturday night with a parade of fire trucks through Hamilton to the Driscoll Park.
At the park, the firemen and families attended a nice picnic and watched the annual Water Games.
This year’s games included a bucket brigade, and keg shoot (two teams try to shoot a keg across a zip line with a 1-½” water line – like tug-of-war), and SCBA Dodge Ball (teams of fire fighters play dodge ball with their full gear on including air packs).
The Conrad Volunteer Fire Department sat this year’s games out but still had a lot of fun.