Safeway 1639 meat cutter and steward Jeff Wright would do anything to rid the world of cancer, even if it means dressing up as a woman.       

Many people in his life, including Wright’s father and grandfather, have lost their battles with the disease. The loss of so many loved ones prompted Wright to participate in Relay For Life seven years ago.

The walk of life

Relay For Life is a 12-hour fundraising event for the American Cancer Society that begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. the following day. Participants walk all night because, as Wright said, “cancer doesn’t sleep.”

Wright has raised nearly $4,000 this year alone and is a distinguished member of the society’s Emerald Individual Fundraising Club.

Wright and 11 of his co-workers comprise Team Safeway, which is currently the American Cancer Society’s top-earning team in the Relay For Life.

But his passion for funding cancer research doesn’t end there.

Every year, Wright raises more money by wearing a pink dress — a symbol for breast cancer — with a wig and women’s shoes and running around downtown Phoenix to collect as much money as he can in an hour. Members from each team in Relay For Life also join in the gag.

“The downtown rush can get competitive,” Wright said. “I’ve won it the last six years by raising as much as $600 in anhour.”

The great outdoors

When he isn’t at work or fighting cancer, Wright spends his weekends hunting and fishing.

“My dad taught me how to hunt elk, deer and rabbits,” he said. “Sometimes, we’d eat what we caught that day for dinner.”      

For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org