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The Rays Awareness Team fights for a cure in the memory of Mary Ellen Koutny and Larry Patrick Keller.  Though these two people never met in their lifetime, their family and friends are joined together to help raise funds and be the warriors that Mary and Patrick didn’t get the chance to be.

Last year's First Annual Rays Awareness 5K Run raised over $23,000 in memory of Mary Ellen Koutny.  All funds went directly to the Melanoma Research Foundation with a second year grant awarded to Dr. Angela Hess in Memory of Mary Ellen Koutny. The Melanoma Research Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide RESEARCH, EDUCATE prevention and ADVOCATE awareness. 

This year Larry Patrick Keller’s family has joined the awareness team.  Together we strive for the goal of raising $50,000.  With this generous donation we hope to help the Melanoma Research Foundation raise awareness and provide education to the community.

Please join us September 20th for a 5K Run/Walk.  This fundraiser is held in the memory of Mary Ellen Koutny and Larry Patrick Keller.   This horrific cancer is said to be the deadliest form of skin cancer.  As the pink ribbon represents breast cancer, a black ribbon represents Melanoma, signifying “black tumor”.   Melanoma is often hard to distinguish and in many cases very aggressive by the time it is detected, making it the silent killer. Melanoma is an epidemic rising faster than any other cancer and is projected to affect one person out of 50, by the year 2010.