Posted on Wed, May. 07, 2008

The activities that Kelli Scott is hosting Tuesday in Augusta are a payback. In 2005, Scott learned that she had soft tissue sarcoma, a cancer that begins in the body's soft tissues, such as muscles or tendons. It's a rare cancer: Only about 9,500 cases a year are diagnosed, and they occur more often in children and young adults, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Scott, who is 39 and lives in El Dorado, successfully went through surgery and radiation, with support from her family and the online help she found through the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Then she decided to help the group that had helped her. A year ago, she hosted Dining Against Cancer, a lunch and silent auction fundraiser for the foundation. She had three or four weeks to plan that one and raised a bit more than $1,000.

"This year, I started planning in January," she says, and she hopes to double the amount raised.

LiveStrong Day will be a full-day event at her business, the Sarah Chance Bakery/Serendipity Cafe & Boutique at 418 State St. in Augusta.

She'll have biscuits and gravy at 7 a.m., Papa John's pizza from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., cancer survivors' testimonies at 5:30 p.m. and a yellow balloon release (yellow is the foundation's color for cancer survivors) and announcement of silent auction winners at 6.

When someone starts a fundraiser, she says, "most people say 'Shoot big.' No, I'm shooting small." That's why her goal is to double what she did last year, though she would be delighted to raise more.

Scott, who bought the cafe in March 2007, is married and has two daughters, ages 22 and 13, and two grandchildren. In July, she'll attend the LiveStrong Summit in Columbus, Ohio, for training on advocacy, fundraising and voter education.

She also is involved with the Augusta cancer support group and the Kansas LiveStrong Army, and her store window features yellow stars with the names of cancer survivors.

"Living with cancer can be a lonely and overwhelming experience," she says. "I want to support others going through this difficult time in their lives."

If you go

LIVESTRONG

What: Fundraiser to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation

Where: Sarah Chance Bakery/Serendipity Cafe & Boutique, 418 State St., Augusta

When: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday

How much: Biscuits and gravy and pizza by donation. A silent auction will be held.

For more information, call Kelli Scott at 316-775-6000.

Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.