A recent weekend’s American Cancer Society telethon raised a record-setting $261,847, surpassing last year’s total of $254,386.

Some funds from the annual two-day event at Penn’s Peak will be targeted for research. The ACS mission this year is to “end cancer as we know it. For everyone.”

Mark Drill, vice president for the Pennsylvania and New York division of the American Cancer Society, said the organization research is targeting “what cancer is and how it hits the body.”

Dee Mathis, executive director for the Eastern Pennsylvania market, said since 1991 the patient mortality rate has declined by 33 percent, the equivalent of 8 million lives.

Funds are also going to services such as the Hope Lodge, that provides patients and their families with a place to stay when they are in the city for treatment. Lodges, equivalent to an adult Ronald McDonald House, are located in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City.

“Patients can stay as long as they need to at no cost,” Mathis said. She added through the Road to Recovery program patients can get rides to and from the hospital.

The emphasis this year was also on volunteers.

Many volunteer opportunities are available, locally and regionally. Interested people can go to cancer.org for more information.

One coming event is the Pennsylvania Hope Ride. Brian McQuestion, a 20-year cancer survivor, spoke about the May 17 ride, based in the Lancaster area. People can ride from 7.5 to 100 miles.

Cyclist Carl Cramer said this ride started in 2013 to support the Hope Lodges. So far the event has raised $1.3 million to help the program. That’s the equivalent of 5,700 nights for cancer patients and caregivers. “It’s a phenomenal facility, caring and supportive,” Cramer said.

In 2023, one-third of the night stays were from people in the Northeast Pennsylvania region. “That’s over 5,200 nights for our neighbors,” he said.

When his sister was being treated for cancer, Cramer said she saved over $40,000 in hotel bills with Hope Lodge stays.

For more information, visit Pahoperide.org.

Three Courage Awards were presented to cancer survivors: Tom McCarroll Sr., of Tamaqua, Kerry Jones Uher, of Lansford and Marissa Haas, of Emmaus.