Surrey, B.C. – February 19, 2014 – UFCW Canada Local 247 is partnering with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) to raise money for blood cancer research by forming a Team In Training (TNT) that will participate in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington, D.C on April 27, 2014.   

As part of the LLSC's TNT Flex program, UFCW Canada Local 247 is aiming to raise $20,000 to support life-saving leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma research. In return, the team members are receiving professional support to help them prepare for the 21.1 kilometer marathon this spring.

The team consists of Local 247 staff members Dan Goodman, Tima Burgess, and Anny Kukovica-Goodman, Local 247 member Sandra Peters, and LLSC staff members Cyril Aucoin and Liz Harris, who together have raised $6,900.

With two months to go, the team is seeking additional donations to help them reach their fundraising goal and fight deadly blood cancers in the process. UFCW Canada members, staff, and allies who are interested in supporting Local 247's efforts can visit their fundraising page to make a donation.

This will be the second time that Local 247 participates in a TNT marathon south of the border, as last year members and staff from the Local Union completed the Rock'n' Roll Marathon & Half Marathon Race in San Diego, California. A video of their experience can be viewed here.

Local 247's fundraising initiative is part of UFCW Canada's broader effort to support blood cancer research as the leading annual donor to the LLSC. Since 1985, UFCW Canada and its Local Unions have raised over $28.7 million to benefit life-saving leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma research.

"We're very excited to be participating in the Nike Women's Half Marathon and we're asking UFCW Canada members and staff to support our efforts by making a donation to our Team In Training," says UFCW Canada Local 247 Secretary-Treasurer Dan Goodman. "Together we can cross the finish line to curing various forms of blood cancer."