Grove Street Family Clinic fundraises for Relay For Life

MARYSVILLE — The staff, family and friends of the Grove Street Family Clinic are taking part in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life for the second year in a row, but while they merely sponsored the event last year, they decided to take a more active role in supporting it this year.

Not only is the Clinic entering a team of 20 adult and teen walkers of its own for this year's Relay For Life — the "Grove Street Groovers" — but it's also engaged in ongoing fundraising for the Relay For Life, right up through the event itself, June 13-14 at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School track field.

On May 30, the Grove Street Family Clinic hosted a car wash and a rummage sale, the latter made up of items that Grove Street Family Clinic owner and practitioner Carolyn Freed dug out of her closet, ranging from run-of-the-mill gently-used household goods to relatively unique items such as "guitar-pick jewelry." Jenean Hoban, team captain of the "Grove Street Groovers," brought along her children, to help wash cars and, in the case of her son, John Agley, perform a stunt for charity.

"It's a 'Crack at Cancer,'" Hoban said. "For 50 cents, you can crack an egg on his head. He'll be available to do it at the Relay For Life, too."

Agley seemed not only willing, but also eager to have a reporter from The Marysville Globe smash a raw egg on top of his head. His enthusiasm might owe in part to the family connections that both Hoban and Freed have to this issue, since Freed's mother had ovarian cancer, while Hoban's mother had lung cancer. Both women appreciate the fact that Relay For Life funds research on all types of cancer.

Midway through their day-long fundraiser, Freed estimated that the Grove Street Family Clinic had raised approximately $100 toward its $250 goal for the day, and emphasized that all the money raised would go directly to Relay For Life. The Grove Street Family Clinic is continuing to sell raffle tickets for a patient-donated basket of "bath essentials," up until the start of Relay For Life. Hoban added that the Grove Street Family Clinic has placed donation jars at the Buzz Inn on State Avenue in Marysville, as well as at a consignment store in Arlington, owned by another of the clinic's patients.

Those who wish to donate to Relay For Life through the Grove Street Family Clinic may visit its office, located at 1630 Grove St., or log onto the American Cancer Society Web site for the "Grove Street Groovers," located at main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=14554&team_id=506400.

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