“We definitely want this event and everything to continue to be tied to the Columbus community, because that’s been so important to our family,” he said.

He also knows the rates of pediatric and blood cancer are high in the Columbus area, and how a cancer diagnosis can change someone’s life in an instant.

“Unfortunately there are far too many people in our local community who are hearing that word and facing these battles and these fights,” he said.

Two of the young people currently battling the disease will be honored during next month’s event.

Kyle Anderson, who will graduate Sunday from Columbus High School, was diagnosed in 2011 with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. He has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment since then to combat the recurring tumors.

Emma Gehring was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January 2013 when she was just 7 months old. It impacted her motor skills and ability to do much of anything on her own.

The Papillion girl, who turns 5 on May 24, had two surgeries to remove most of the tumor and underwent chemotherapy treatment, but her fight continues.