Since 2018, the Montgomery County Cancer Supporters have been valuable in helping local cancer patients.

“The last five years, we have gotten over $15,000 in gas cards and we served over 100 cancer patients with gas cards,” said Tammy Banks, who is one of the members. “Thank goodness for the high school clubs. They help donate a lot of Easter eggs. All of the grade school kids help out a lot.”

Now, MCCS is looking to run its first fundraising event in four years. The organization held its annual fundraiser in 2018 and 2019 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds before the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

“The year 2020 went by and we didn’t have an event,” Banks said. “Then, 2021 went by. We got towards the end of the year and we thought maybe we could do something in 2022. Then, another wave of COVID hit the Montgomery County area. Now, we’re in 2023 and we’re hoping that this is our year.”

Banks said she hopes the organization will do a bingo fundraiser at the Fairgrounds sometime this fall.

Besides Banks, county residents Denise Rakers, Carol Oden and Amber Surls are the other members in MCCS. The organization used to be called Relay For Life before it was changed to Montgomery County Cancer Supporters in 2018.

“I got asked to help probably in 2015 or 2016,” said Banks, who lived in Montgomery County for most of her life. “I started to help. Our relays were dwindling. They would probably bring in anywhere between $20,000-$25,000. Then, the American Cancer Society decided to kind of pull back a little bit on the smaller relays when Mizzou was bringing in anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000.”

MCCS held its first fundraising event on Sept. 29, 2018 with food vendors, live music and activities at the Fairgrounds. The event raised $26,000.

The following year, the fundraiser had face painting, a petting zoo, bounce houses, a car cruise show, a Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament and live music.

Proceeds from the 2018 and 2019 fundraising events stayed in the county to help area survivors fight their battle with cancer.

“We had a lot of people ask us at our events, ‘How come the money doesn’t stay in Montgomery? How come you don’t keep the money here?’ Our standard answer was just they don’t do research in Montgomery City or Montgomery County,” Banks said. “We’re raising funds for research for the American Cancer Society.”

Banks said after the organization changed its name five years ago, members decided to donate gas cards to help out cancer patients.

“We have the Helen Reagan Fund here in Montgomery and they do money and prescription at the pharmacy,” Banks said. “So we didn’t want to go there. We wanted to try something different.”

MCCS also holds an Easter egg fundraiser for the elementary schools in the area.

“We send out little notes in Ziploc bags full of plastic Easter eggs,” Banks said. “The kids take them home and they fill them with as much change as they can, Then, they bring them back. We usually make $1,500 off of Easter eggs. It is amazing that the kids really get into it. We go and talk to them and tell them what we’re doing and what it’s for and everything.”

Several months ago, MCCS received a $5,100 check from the Montgomery County High School FBLA chapter.

“They donated it to the Montgomery County Health Department and the Montgomery County Health Department turned around and gave it to us,” Banks said. “They know we haven’t had any luck doing fundraisers right now.”

Banks said the organization has a simple goal for 2023.

“We just like to make people realize that we are still here,” she said.

For more information on MCCS, call Banks at 573-489-4316.