By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
Last week on Sept. 11, local officials and area residents took turns painting a section of the center line on North Main Street in Minoa, using the color teal to symbolize ovarian cancer awareness.
Minoa Mayor Bill Brazill dedicated the occasion and the accompanying Hope for Heather Teal Ribbon Run/Walk taking place on Sept. 21 to Gloria Armstrong, a village resident who passed away from ovarian cancer in January.
Her husband and Brazill’s longtime friend Peter Armstrong initiated the day’s center stripe painting.
“It’s a great honor,” Peter Armstrong said. “At the same time, it’s kind of a sad moment.”
According to him, Gloria Armstrong behaved as an “extrovert.”
“She was full of life,” Peter Armstrong said. “She was a real people person. She really was.”
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Manlius Town Supervisor Ed Theobald were also among those who volunteered to dip into the paint tray.
The 11th annual ribbon/run on Saturday will start at 10 a.m. in Lewis Park, leading through the neighborhoods and onto Main Street before circling back. Those looking to walk will start five minutes after the runners.
Arranged by Hope for Heather, a Liverpool-based non-profit organization dedicated to combating ovarian cancer, the upcoming race was previously held in the Willow Bay area of Onondaga Lake Park for two years and Syracuse’s Inner Harbor for another two before finding a home in Minoa.
The organization also honors the memory of Heather Weeks, who died at age 24 from complications stemming from colon cancer in November 2008.
Frieda Weeks said her daughter Heather was “strong-willed” and ready at all times to stand up for those suffering difficult situations. “If she believed in a cause, she was an extremely strong advocate for it,” she said.
Before her passing, Heather Weeks worked for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. She also followed her passion for dance, touring at one point with Sesame Street Live!
Anyone interested can register for the Sept. 21 run/walk at hopeforheather.org. All proceeds will go toward ovarian cancer research and awareness efforts.
