I am a volunteer Committee Member with the American Cancer 
Society and thrilled to be helping plan the first ever regional Bark For 
Life event!  You may be aware of Relay For Life, the American Cancer 
Society’s signature event.  Relay For Life raises awareness of cancer 
prevention and detection, as well as services for those currently 
battling the disease, while raising much-needed funds in the fight for 
the cure.  Bark For Life is a similar event whereby communities gather 
together in support of the fight against cancer, with a focus on 
honoring the caregiving qualities of our canine companions.  

Our inaugural Bark For Life event is scheduled for Sunday, November 
11, 2012, from 10am-2pm at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, NJ.  We have a 
day full of fun festivities planned for the whole family!  Our opening 
ceremonies will begin with a tribute to our cancer Survivors and their 
Caregivers – canines included! – then set off with a non-competitive 
one mile walk around the beautiful West Loop track.  At the 
conclusion of the walk, we will have plenty of food, entertainment, 
games and activities, giveaways, vendor booths, training and agility 
demonstrations, and more!  

In order to make Bark For Life a success, I am writing to ask for your 
support of our event by kindly providing a donation of any goods or 
services that you/your organization may be willing to offer.  We are 
expecting anywhere from 50-100 families to attend.  Event participants 
will include cancer Survivors, Caregivers, volunteers, interested 
community members and their canines from across Union, Hudson 
and Essex Counties.  We are seeking a wide range of donations, 
including dog food/biscuits, water bowls, doggy clean up bags to help 
keep the park clean, and prize/giveaway items that we can distribute 
to people and their pets.  We will also be hosting a silent auction and 
can greatly use donations of gift baskets or gift cards/coupons or 
goods toward a product or service.  We also invite you to further 
support Bark For Life by posting a flyer in your store to help promote 
the event, as well as setting up a vendor booth at the event!  

If you would like to speak with someone at the American Cancer 
Society, please contact our staff representative Juliane Russell at 
juliane.russell@cancer.org or 973-232-2574.  The full amount of your 
donation is tax deductible; for your records, the American Cancer 
Society Tax ID# is 16-0743902.  Your donation not only greatly 
enhances our event, but helps us keep our costs down in an effort to 
raise more funds.  All donations will benefit the American Cancer 
Society’s initiatives around cancer research, education, advocacy and 
patient services right here in Union County.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!
