VICTORIA—A combined effort of private and public sector unions paid off in a big way on Sunday, as three CUPE locals at the University of Victoria joined a United Food and Commercial Workers local to raise $4,000 in honour of Beth Lawson (CUPE 917) and Jan Stone (UFCW 1518), two union sisters who died of leukemia earlier this year.
CUPE Locals 917, 951 and 4163 at UVic have been working with the UFCW to raise awareness about leukemia and lymphoma research in honour and memory of Lawson, who worked at UVic Grounds, and Stone, who worked at The Bay. On Sunday, a 5km walk or run to find a cure for leukemia was held at the Cedar Hill Golf Course, followed by a lunch and silent auction.
“CUPE 917 president Rob Park was married to Beth, and both his local and mine are working together with the UFCW to continue to raise awareness of how everyone can help, whether it is by donating money, giving blood on a regular basis or adding their name to the unrelated bone marrow registry,” said CUPE 951 president Doug Sprenger.
At Lawson’s memorial service on July 24, CUPE 951 announced it would rename a union local policy honouring member Christie Adkin, who died while awaiting a lung transplant.
Under the new policy, CUPE 951 will continue to promote the cause of organ donation and bone marrow donation “in memorial to departed CUPE members Christie
Adkin and Beth Lawson, who demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of huge medical challenges and inspired so many of us to become educated about the organ donor and unrelated bone marrow registries.”
For more information on leukemia, and how you can help fight it, visit these websites:
Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry
Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of BC