‘Flo On’ team will continue for Sutton

KINGSTON — Even though Kingston’s Kathleen Sutton battled cancer for nearly seven years until this week, she always managed to put together a team for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Race For The Cure. While Sutton was aggressive about beating her own cancer since being diagnosed in 1997, she was equally aggressive about making sure the people around her participated in the fund-raising effort against the disease.

“She was determined from day one she was not going to let this thing take her life,” said friend and co-worker Sonny Woodward.

When her friend Florence Parnell died of breast cancer in 1999, Sutton and Parnell’s daughter, Carolyn Offenbacker, spearheaded the effort to organize a team called “Flo On For The Cure” that same year. Since then, Sutton has organized a Kingston team to take part in the summer event in Seattle every year.

However, after cancer claimed Sutton April 19, her supporters got a wake up call — someone needed to organize a team ,and fast.

“(Previously) none of us would give much thought to it,” Woodward said, noting that Sutton was always the one who took care of the planning — she just told people where to be and when.

But since the tragic news hit earlier this week, Woodward and co-worker Karla Woodside have been working to assemble one of the best teams ever, primarily in Sutton’s honor.

“We know she is watching, making sure this gets done,” said Allison Morrison, Sutton’s daughter, noting she would like to see a team of 300 people attend the June 6 event this year.

“We still want to have the spirit and participation that she would have demanded,” Woodward added.

The three are encouraging locals to participate as a way to honor Sutton and the hard work she put into the community.

Interested participants can register at the John L. Scott office on State Route 104 in Kingston. Woodside requests that registration forms be turned into her by May 1. For more information, call Woodside at (360) 297-0308.

Participants can also register with the team online at www.seattleRFTC2004.kintera.org. If they do this, they must register under the “Flo On” team. Deadline for registration with the foundation is May 7.

“We want to make sure the spirit of Kathleen, of wanting to have the community involved, (is) in this,” Woodward said.

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