Postmaster to walk in memory of Carly

But the memory of at least one of those children still lingers with Shellberg, who spends her days as postmaster of the tiny Rillito Post Office near Interstate 10 and West Avra Valley Road.

"She was just the most amazing child," Shellberg recalls of Carly Williams, who in 1991 died of leukemia at the age of 10. "The thing about kids with cancer is that they don't think about being sick, and am I going to die. That was how Carly was."

Shellberg will once again honor Carly this Saturday night when she and her Team Marana group participate in the Southern Arizona Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk at Reid Park.

This will be Shellberg's eighth year participating in the walk, which will raise funds for cancer research at University Medical Center and to provide services for local families dealing with leukemia and lymphoma. The event begins at 7 p.m.

Shellberg said the walk itself is relatively easy: the course through Reid Park is only between one and two miles long.

"The whole walk thing is ceremonial," said Shellberg, who will carry a gold balloon with a candle inside it in honor of Carly.

Last year Shellberg's group, which was organized in conjunction with the Marana Chamber of Commerce, raised more than $5,000 in donations, she said.

"My goal is just to have people recognize that these families need help," Shellberg said. "My goal is to devote as much time and energy as possible, and raise as much awareness as possible."

People with the type of leukemia Carly died from had only a 15 percent survival rate in 1991, Shellberg said.

"Now that number is completely opposite," Shellberg said. "It's got an 85 percent survival rate."

IF YOU GO

• What: Southern Arizona Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk.

• Where: DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way.

• When: 7 p.m. Saturday. Registration begins at 6 p.m.

• More information: Go online to www.teams.lightthenight.org/TeamMarana.