Arellano offers a Light of Hope

Staff
Posted 8/24/17

In three weeks, Jesse Arellano will be standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial just after dark, staring out at more than 25,000 Lights of Hope.

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Arellano offers a Light of Hope

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Jesse Arellano

MENDOTA – In three weeks, Jesse Arellano will be standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial just after dark, staring out at more than 25,000 Lights of Hope.

Each Light of Hope will honor a cancer survivor or memorialize someone lost to this terrible disease.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will be honoring those who have been touched by cancer and remembering those lost with a Lights of Hope ceremony during the 2017 Leadership Summit and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. Lights of Hope bearing the names of those touched by cancer will line the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sept. 12 in an experience to fight back against cancer at the Nation’s Capitol.

Individuals can purchase a Lights of Hope bag for $10. The donation will help to light the Capitol with HOPE and help urge Congress to make cancer a top priority. “I get chills just thinking about the glow from over 25,000 Lights of Hope,” said Jesse Arellano, area advocacy lead, Illinois north central region.

This will mark Arellano’s 4th trip to Washington for this cause.

“This is important to me because I have seen how cancer affects the families that it touches and how crucial finding a cure is for this disease. I have been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and Cancer Action Network in many different ways for the last six or seven years,” he said.

Arellano has currently taken on a role on the Illinois Area Volunteer Leadership Team where he will be the lead volunteer in the state for Advocacy through Relay For Life. His role will be to help all of the Relay For Life events in the State of Illinois with their advocacy efforts.

The dollars raised through ACS are crucial dollars. They help with services that help fund the mission of the Society. ACS CAN gets the Federal Government to play a big part through funding of the National Institutes of Health and helps fund grants to cancer researchers so they can continue their work and hopefully find a cure to cancer.

“I love being a part of an organization that’s goal is to help end all cancers and not just one specific cancer. I always feel that if I have spare time then I should give that time to an organization trying to do great things so that nobody I know ever has to lose a loved one to this disease,” stated Arellano.

Arellano urges everyone in our community to join the advocacy efforts to make our voices heard and light up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with HOPE from across the country.

If you would like to honor or remember someone with a Lights of Hope and help Jesse reach his goal for this year’s Lights of Hope ceremony you may visit Jesse’s online Lights of HOPE page at: http://action.acscan.org/goto/jarellano or call Jesse at (815) 250-6226 by Aug. 31.

Lights of Hope history:

  • Lights of Hope began in 2011 at the National Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. 1,200 bags lined the Capitol’s Reflecting pool that year celebrating ACS CAN’s 10th anniversary.
  • In 2012, 7,000 Lights of Hope bags lit up the Capitol in honor of cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones lost across the U.S.
  • 2013 gave way to a record 14,000 Lights of HOPE and during the ceremony ACS CAN honored the American Cancer Society’s 100th year with a birthday cake recognizing the many accomplishments achieved together.
  • 2014 was another monumental year as volunteers and staff from around the country collected nearly 16,000 Lights of Hope. Also in 2014, Celgene was welcomed as the first ever sponsor to the event.
  • 2015 marked the 5th anniversary of Lights of HOPE and boasted a display of 20,000 lights. While it was a very rainy event, hundreds braved the elements including Celgene, a returning sponsor for a second year.
  • In 2016 we welcomed Merck as a new sponsor and proudly displayed 24,000 bags.
  • Help make 2017 the most remarkable year yet!

ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. They support evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority.

For more information visit: https://www.acscan.org/lightsofhope.