Bob Silipigni has met goal after goal during his 23-year volunteer career for the Douglas County Relay for Life, but none bigger than the $1 million in cumulative donations benchmark he reached mid-August.
Silipigni said he considered the Lawrence community his family and wanted to share kudos with more than 2,000 residents who’ve opened their pockets to help fund cancer research, awareness and hope.
“After putting my heart and soul into this (American Cancer Society) project I must express much appreciation to this community. We are all HEALERS,” Silipigni wrote in an email.
Numerous Lawrence residents also have opened their homes and hearts to Silipigni during his annual door-to-door fundraising campaign. He recalled a conversation with a donor last spring as he inched toward $1 million in donations.
The donor “perked up” and requested notification when Silipigni came within $1,000. He hoped to provide the boost Silipigni would need to surpass the million-dollar mark.
Silipigni taped the benefactor’s contact info to his microwave as a reminder and motivator.
“He has certainly been a man of his word. I knew he would be,” Silipigni said. “When you pull over a million dollars from people in a community, you’ve gotten it from a lot of people for a lot of years. I’m so thankful for so many of the gracious people that I’ve met.”
Silipigni estimated he’d worn out 40 pairs of shoes traversing his hometown the last 23 years. During his first annual campaign, he raised $1,500 for the Douglas County Relay for Life at Haskell University. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturns, Silipigni has increased his goal each year and consistently exceeded it, according to figures provided by Carolyn Zeller, senior development manager for the North Region of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Silipigni collected more than $100,000 for the 2023 relay at Rock Chalk Park. He and Zeller also accepted the ACS Volunteer Staff Partnership Award in recognition of the decade they’ve worked together. Zeller deemed it a special honor for her to receive the award with Silipigni, whom she considers a friend. ACS awards only three each year nationwide.
“Bob is very humble, and that is one of many traits that I admire about him,” Zeller said. “I just appreciate many aspects of the person that Bob is, because he just has the biggest heart of anyone that I know. And he devotes so much of his time to helping others.”
Zeller said Silipigni always ranks as the top fundraiser in the north region, which spans 13 states. Nationwide, he ranks seventh across six regions.
Silipigni has already started prepping a large mailing for the 2024 event. It’s a ritual his three dogs have pegged.
“They’ll be in the other room, and they know when I’m sealing an envelope. They come in and start barking,” Silipigni said. “I don’t know if they associate it with the mail carrier. But they’re gonna get mad at me when this coming fundraising season comes along, because they’re not gonna get as much attention.”
Silipigni, who is single, adores baseball — especially his beloved New York Yankees. He retired from Residential Alternatives after a 21-year career working with special populations. Walking Lawrence for Douglas County Relay for Life gives the retiree exercise and fresh air and helps him make new connections in the community.
ACS also needs volunteer drivers to provide free transportation for patients with cancer to and from medical appointments and treatment sessions. Drivers must be between 18 to 84 with a reliable vehicle and proof of insurance. Online training is provided and volunteers set their own schedule while matching patient needs. For more information or to sign up, visit cancer.org/drive.
After celebrating the million-dollar goal, it’s back to business as usual for Silipigni — one step at a time.
“It’s a personal milestone, but it isn’t a cure,” he said. “We’re not gonna quit.”
Cancer affected 18 million people worldwide in 2020, according to figures published by World Cancer Research Fund International. That includes 1.6 million new cases of cancer in the United States, where 602,347 people died of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Tricia Masenthin (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at tmasenthin (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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