By Bill Petzold
Editor
REESE — While Tuscola County supporters gear up for next month’s Relay For Life event August 17 at the Tuscola County Fairgrounds, one area resident is getting a head start.
With hundreds of miles walked and thousands of dollars raised for the American Cancer Society, Charles Kurtansky of Reese is proof that one man can make a difference.
Kurtansky will embark Thursday on his ninth annual 25-mile “Charlie K Walk.” Last year, Kurtansky raised more than $3,700 in donations through the effort.
“I had been walking anyway,” Kurtansky said, explaining how the walk began. “In fact, two years before I started this walk, on Memorial Day I walked 17 1/2 miles from my house to my aunt’s house. They always talked about Relay For Life, so I decided I would keep the date open — it was in September when they first started. I was really impressed with it, so I thought, ‘If I’m going to walk, why don’t I walk for Relay For Life?’
“The first year I didn’t send out any flyers or anything and I raised I think $300 or $400 you know, and I thought, ‘Maybe I ought to do that as a fundraiser.’ And I started sending out (information) to relatives and friends. The church, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Reese has been supporting me the most. I don’t send them anything; all I ask is that they put the flyer in the bulletin.”
In previous years, Kurtansky — usually accompanied by anywhere from three to six people including his neighbor who joined him for five of his walks and his oldest daughter who made the trek seven times — basically took the long way around to meet up with Relay For Life supporters at the Tuscola County Fairgrounds in Caro. He’s switched his route several times over the years.
“The first year when I walked 25 I walked from my house into Reese at 4 o’clock in the morning on M-81, and then we came back on Deckerville Road to Cleaver Road and down Main Street,” Kurtansky said. “There was a lot of traffic on Main Street on Saturday morning at 4 o’clock so I don’t do that anymore. What I do is I walk six miles — my daily walk, what I usually do —then come back to the house, and anybody that wants to walk with me from the house, it would be 19 miles. We go north on Bradford to Deckerville Road and bring Deckerville over to M-24, then down to M-81 and down Main Street to the park down at the Fairgrounds. We have a canopy at the fairgrounds.
“It’s pretty impressive, especially when they had the survivor’s walk at 6 or 6:30, something like that, then when it gets to be 8:30 or 9 p.m. they light the luminaria bags — that’s really really impressive. They’ve got something going 24 hours a day during that. It goes from 10 a.m. Saturday morning to 10 a.m. Sunday morning.”
This year’s Relay For Life of Tuscola County is expected to begin with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 17 at the Tuscola County Fairgrounds, 188 Park St. in Caro. A fight back ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, and a survivors ceremony at 7 p.m. The luminaria ceremony is set for 9 p.m. As of Tuesday morning, 36 teams and 354 participants from Tuscola County have raised $58,655.90 for Relay this year.
“Two years ago I did four 25-mile walks because I dedicated one to my dad who would have been 100 years old, but he died in 1971 of lung cancer. So I did 25 miles on April 16 — two inches of snow and 29 degree weather — and then I did 25 miles on Memorial Day and on July 5 — his birthday — 25 miles, and it was a hot day. Those first three walks I didn’t walk my daily six-mile walk, because I walked into Caro and then I started back home, so I was closer to home when the wife came and got me. I was going west, and this couple they were going east in their car and they stopped and offered me a ride. I must have looked stressed out!” Kurtansky said, laughing.
Kurtansky hasn’t done much over the years in terms of advertising, but as word of the Charlie K Walk has spread, his supporters have been happy to help him in his mission to raise funds for cancer awareness and a cure.
“I send out the flyer, they can give whatever they want,”Kurtansky said. “I don’t ask for any certain amount. I think the one year I wasover $4,000. The only business I send to because everybody else is sending (Relay flyers) is Abele’s Greenhouse — they’re my biggest business supporter. Ninety-nine percent of my (support) is just friends.”
To make a donation to the Charlie K Walk, send a check payable to the American Cancer Society to: Charles J. Kurtansky, 1809 S. Bradford Road, Reese, MI, 48757.
Bill Petzold is the editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser. He can be reached at petzold@tcadvertiser.com.