The Montgomery County Cancer Supporters are set for one of their biggest fundraisers as Easter weekend approaches.

The group is holding its seventh annual Easter Egg Fundraiser, which helps provide gas cards for local residents who have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving treatments. The event is targeted only to elementary schools in the Montgomery County area – Jonesburg and Montgomery City elementary schools, Wellsville-Middletown Elementary School and Immaculate Conception School.

The Easter Egg Fundraiser began in 2018, the same year MCCS started. Tammy Banks, one of the group’s members, said the event has raised between $1,200 and $1,800 since it began seven years ago.

“We do the Pink Out volleyball game and we don’t raise that much money with the Pink Out,” Banks said. “We raised probably less than $500 with Pink Out. The egg fundraiser gets the kids involved. The parents are a little involved because there are a lot of eggs that come through with $20 bills over a few eggs last year that came through with $100 bills. I think a lot of the community stands behind helping our local people in need.”

Teachers at all of the elementary schools hand out a plastic easter egg with instructions for children to take home. The eggs will be filled with change around the house and they will be returned to school. Instructions were delivered on April 8.

MCCS members will pick up the eggs on April 17 and then tally each class at each school. The class that raises the most will get a treat.

Banks said over $1,000 was raised each year the fundraiser was held. The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our first year was a little over $1,300,” Banks said. “With things like that, it’s good because the kids move up a grade each year. So fifth graders will move on to middle school and a new batch will be coming in. It’s new to a lot of the kids. We have so many kids who are new to the district and everything that they haven’t seen (the fundraiser) before. It kind of keeps it going well. I know you can kind of burn yourself out on doing things like this year after year after. So far, we’re still doing well with it.”

MCCS used to be called Relay For Life before it was changed to Montgomery County Cancer Supporters in 2018. The organization held its first fundraising event on Sept. 29, 2018 with food vendors, live music and activities at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and it raised $26,000. The next 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 fundraising events both events stayed in the county to help area survivors fight their battle with cancer. After changing its name, MCCS decided to go into a different direction by donating gas cards to help out cancer patients.