Many of the folks waving signs and dressed in pink in front of Stanley Ford and around the Peninsula on the first Saturday in February didn’t even know September Klump, but they heard the mother of five was in a battle with cancer and needed some help. A call to Katherine Covey, who has done other benefits for some friends was all it took to get the 30K in a day underway. “I don’t really know her, I just watch her like we all do valiantly fighting cancer and she’s like a little hero to us. She goes to work every day at Fred Myers in Soldotna, even though she’s battling cancer and has five kids at home so how can you not just be in awe of such a person. She is totally inspiring,” said Covey as volunteers waved at passing traffic in front of Stanley Ford in Kenai.
The idea was to raise $30K to help September get to the International Bio Care Cancer Center in Tijuana, Mexico. Klump has been told there is no cure for her type of cancer. She had heard of the Center in Mexico from a friend and read about Rick Abbott, Soldotna branch manager for SBS who went to IBC with lymphoma and leukemia and is now cancer free. Saturday, Abbott was also waving signs at traffic in front of Stanley Ford. “When I thought of what we could do fast,” said Covey, “I thought of the Fill the Boot that CES does every fall and that we could do a similar event across the Peninsula, so we went on facebook and decided we could all suffer a little cold to help September who suffers every day to get her where she wants to go for treatment. A lot of folks turned out and we’re doing really well. I’ll tell you it sure renews your faith in our community. We’ve had a lot of contributions and I haven’t totaled anything yet we’re going to come real close to making our goal.”
At Stanley Ford, Courtney Stanley heard the call and sponsored a remote radio broadcast and event at the local dealership. “It’s going great as always when you get the community involved and their support has been incredible and is inspiring to me personally. Giving back to the community is part of doing what we do and it’s the most rewarding thing we do and is the most enjoyable. I’m proud to live and be part of such a great community and we are looking forward to a great year for September and her family,” said Stanley. Anyone interested in donating can still help out and learn more by going to https:/www.facebook.com/30kinaday4september.
