I Have Had Enough, This Is War!

by Margarita Mercure Hibbs

This week crossed a line inside of me that I will no longer accept. Too many friends and family of mine have been touched by Cancer and I have had enough. To say that I am a conundrum of emotion is too mild. I am angry, frustrated, grief stricken and sick of Cancer marking the lives of people I love, and frankly, even people I don’t know. I am not a star or celebrity. I am only a woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and artist, but I have a voice and a heart for this cause and I am hoping that friends and strangers will help in any way that they can.

This week there was a straw that got thrown on this back of mine. This pile of straw has been pressing upon me since my mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer. In reality, the first straw hit me when I was very little and we were visiting my Aunt Marie and Uncle Archie and my only slightly older cousin was dying from Cancer. He was only five. He left behind his twin, my cousin Charles or Chuckie as we called him, a sister Yvette and a younger brother Arthur. The grief was always palpable and solid, raw and painful. Even at that age, I sensed the insanity and frustration of a disease that knows no boundaries, knows no decency. This disease does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, religious affiliation, financial status or sex.

I grew up with a father that taught me that we must always strive for making a positive difference for the “greater good”, not the select few. This is my main reason for supporting the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. The American Cancer Society has been around since 1912. It is one of this country’s oldest non-profit organizations in service to humanity and the elimination of Cancer. They advocate for all cancers, not just one. As I say this, let me clarify that I support all good cancer organizations and bear no negativity for their specialization.

It is easy to be passionate about this cause and this organization. They do several key things, but one fact really spoke to my heart and my definition of “Greater Good”. The American Cancer Society is the single largest benefactor of Cancer Research and Development Grants, second only to the U.S. Government. This is fact. When you stop to consider that the majority of this money is raised by us normal, everyday people. This knowledge gives me goosebumps and is beautiful and humbling to say the least. This is the epitome of “Everyday people creating extraordinary miracles”.

Here is the other more pragmatic reason that I am happy to stand with the American Cancer Society. Only 8 cents out of every dollar goes to salaries and administrative costs. This is major. How many charitable organizations can honestly claim this? The rest of that dollar goes to Research, Development, Education and Specialized Patient Services. In addition to those things, it also funds a 24 hour, 7 Day Telephone Cancer Hotline, 1-800-ACS-2345 and a phenomenal website, www.cancer.org. This is profound.

Here is my big “Ask” to all of you; Help. I am the Event Chair for the Estancia Valley, NM Relay For Life. Actually to be completely legal, the correct name event is, The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life-Estancia Valley, NM. The online fundraising website is:

www. relayforlife.org/estanciavalleynm

This year’s event is being held on August 6th and 7th, 2010 in Arthur Park, Estancia, New Mexico, from 6pm, August 6th through 6pm, August 7th. This is a 24 Hour Event because Cancer does not sleep, so for one night we won’t either. Please consider forming a team and come camp out with us. The concept is very simple, each team commits to have at least one person from their team on the walk path at all times.

Each team member pays a participation fee of $10 and agrees to do their part to raise more money for the collective team. Survivors are free.  Some teams host fundraisers as a team and others simply go after individual and business sponsorships. If you own a business, please consider being a business or corporate sponsor of this worthy cause.

If you would prefer to sponsor by mail, please do so in the following manner. The check should be made out to The American Cancer Society or ACS and please notate on your check the following: Estancia Valley, NM. The check should be mailed to one of the following addresses:

Margarita Mercure Hibbs, Event Chair
ACS Relay For Life, Estancia Valley, NM
Post Office Box 646
Estancia, NM 87016
505-384-3131

or

Beunka Sinclair, ACS Community Staff Member
The American Cancer Society
10501 Montgomery Blvd., NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111
505-262-6024

Enough said, please join us and come be part of the Estancia Valley “Greater Good”.  Come Celebrate more Birthdays for our Survivors. Remember the Loved Ones we have lost. And please come Fight Back and help us defeat this killer called Cancer. Thank you for your consideration, but please do something, anything.

Yours in battle,
Margarita Mercure Hibbs
MargaritaHibbs@msn.com

4 Responses “I Have Had Enough, This Is War!”

  1. Abe says:

    You are living in a world of MAKE BELIEVE with your figures on the American Cancer Society and the .o8 cents is total BS and I can confirm this to you. I am a formet Chair that raised almost $1,000,000 in 3 years and left immediately when I saw how they pissed away the money. Cancer Researc is not one of their priorities….THEY PAY 13 REGIONAL
    COORDINATORS ALMOST $500,000 EACH ANNUALLY AND THIS IS CONFIRMED BY THEIR CORPORATE VP OF COMMUNICATIONS. You are being misled………

    • Margarita Mercure Hibbs says:

      Dear Abe,

      From the harsh tone that you have taken, it is apparent that you are very angry. You are entitled to be angry, that is your right, but your statements do not amount to much. You hide behind anonymity so there is no way to vet your motives. You see, I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with me, however it should be on the same par as my attempt to communicate with the public.

      People with opinions on both sides of any issue should be fully identified and fully vetted for their motives. Then it is up to the readers to decide which position they agree with, while your proposed method “Abe” seems less than honorable.

      On your point about $500,000 salaries, I have no problem with a good salary to any executive, if they are doing their job. The ratios and percentages vary slightly, from year to year, but the corporation has always maintained a stringent view on administrative and salary costs. It is a nationwide corporate policy to never exceed 12% in these issues and in fact rarely exceed 10%. They are a 501C3 Non-Profit Corporation in good standing with the IRS and are audited annually, as required by law. Until you are willing to provide full disclosure about yourself, your motives and your sources of information, I will rely upon their standing in the world of charities.

  2. No offense, Abe, but the way that this is written, with no references, lots of typos, and some rather less than cordial language, suggests that you are not a “formet” chair. We’d like to give you the opportunity to back up what you say, here. Feel free to send us an e-mail at editor@nm-central.com with specifics. We will not identify you publicly.

    • Let me clarify that last sentence; we will not identify you publicly if you tell us who you are. We reserve the right to publish information obtained independently.

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