The numbers are rolling in and by just about anyone’s standards Calvert County’s 2013 Relay for Life was a huge success. According to the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) web site, 115 teams and 1,255 participants raised $375,547.37 this year. Calvert has been a perennial leader in per capita funds raised in the fight against cancer.
However, the county’s all-volunteer committee has heard a different story from ACS regional officials.
According to several committee members, including committee chairperson Paula Rosnage, a post-event meeting with the ACS did not go well.
“The director from the American Cancer Society stood there and proceeded to not thank the community but to tell them we have not met our goal for the last two years,” said Rosnage. “And because our goal wasn’t met there are going to be programs and research and things that don’t happen.”
Rosnage, who has chaired the Calvert event since 2009, said she was asked to step down by ACS officials, who cited a “best practices” mandate as the reason for a leadership change. No member of the Calvert Relay for Life committee who spoke about the situation had any idea there was a best practices policy.
“I’ve done this [Relay for Life committee] for six years,” said Rosnage. “Never once has it been said ‘this is your last year, Paula.’ The new staff partner all through the year asked me what was my succession plan. I didn’t have anybody in the committee who wanted to step up to be the chair.”
A spokeswoman for ACS Delmarva Region disputed Rosnage’s claim that she was asked to step aside. “Paula was not asked to step down,” said the spokeswoman, Vivienne Stearns-Elliott. “Chairs are not asked to step down. They are educated about succession planning and asked to follow best practice. We are very appreciative of her service and commitment to saving lives from cancer.”
Stearns-Elliott said the practice of recommending Relay chairs limit their tenures to two years was created in 2004 and is a nationwide ACS policy.
“This best practice was created on a nat
