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NSBNEWS.net photos by Henry Frederick
At left, New Smyrna Beach native Joe Visconti gets a kiss Wednesday from daughter, Mallory Pumphrey, and mother, Tootsie McDonald, after presenting a $500 check to the S.E. Volusia Cancer Society's Relay for Life, on behalf of his employer, United Launch Alliance, the rocket manufacturing giant. Above photo, with Visconti from left to right are Sharon Atwell, team development chair for Relay For Life; Brenda Hendrickson, RFL logistics chair; RuthAnne Yeats, RFL co-chair and Mallory Pumphrey. Sixty-five RFL teams under the direction of Yeats and co-chair Deborah Alonzo raised $136,420.08. The check from Visconti brings the total closer to RFL's goal of $153,000 for the 2010 campaign.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Six years ago today, Joe Visconti lost his mother-in-law, Jacqueline Mallory, to cancer. The date was etched in his memory as he donated a $500 check to the Southeast Volusia American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, on behalf of his employer, United Launch Alliance, the nation's rocket giant.
"It's kind of ironic -- it pus a nice touch on it," Visconti said of his employer's donation and the legacy of Jacqueline Mallory, former trustee of the Southeast Volusia Hospital Authority and wife of NSBNEWS.net co-publisher and blogger Peter Mallory.
The donation Wednesday from Visconti, 52, of Titusville, and a quality engineer for ULA, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006, providing spacecraft launch services to the federal government.
The donation benefit's the American Cancer Society's signature event, Relay for Life in Southeast Volusia by adding to the total funds raised during the 2010 campaign, with the 10th-year generating $136,420.08 from 65 teams. The $500 donated by Visconti's employer brings closer RFL's goal of $153,000. Visconti also donated 40 hours of his own time in RFL efforts, turning New Smyrna Beach's Riverside Park into a tent city in mid-April.
"We are pleased to have Joe Visconti volunteering his time at our organization," said RuthAnne Yeats, Relay for Life co-chair. "ULA's recognition of this valuable volunteer enables us to benefit twice -- once from the employee's time and again as a grant recipient.
Visconti presented a check to Yeats outside the Baldwin Brothers Funeral Home on the South Causeway 5:30 p.m. Wednesday where she is general manager.
His employer, Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance released a statement in advance of the check delivery ceremony, stating in part that ULA is "committed to making a difference in the communities where our employees live and work, adding of the check, "The Matching Time program is designed to recognize our team members for their volunteer efforts that we feel reflect our company's values."
Joe Visconti is the son of longtime Relay For Life Volunteer Tootsie McDonald, one of the original organizers of the decade-old community charity for the American Cancer Society.
Brenda Hendrickson, who chaired the logistics committee for the RFL recalled Visconti's tireless efforts this year, saying in part, "Joe was great to work with. He jumped right in and helped with every aspect of logistics.
On a personal level, Hendrickson said working with RFL "has become my second family in fighting this terrible disease.
Sharon Atwell, RFL team development chair, echoed that point: "It's a step on a ride to eliminate cancer."
Yeats said the example set by Visconti and McDonald is "what families do: They work together -- Joe, granddaughter Mallory and momma Tootsie. It's an inspiration to my children and I."
For anyone interested in contributing to the Relay For Life campaign, please contact Yeats at 386-428-2424 or ruthanne@baldwinbros.net.
FAST FACTS
United Launch Alliance combines the successful Delta and Atlas expandable launch vehicle programs, offering cost-effective launch service to the U.S. government, including the Deparment of Defense, NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office, among others. Headquartered in Denver, launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Relay for Life was founded in 1985 by Dr. Gordon Klatt in Tacoma, Wash. It is the signature event for the American Cancer Society and the single largest non-profit in the world. RFL is a volunteer-driven community overnight fundraiser where families, clubs, schools, businesses, religious groups, service organizations and public and private employee groups health-care professionals and others enlist teams to participate in a series of activities to generate funding.