BAKERSFIELD - The Kern County Probation Department is working together with several members of our community this weekend to help find a cure for cancer.

Volunteers have set up shop at the east Bakersfield Veteran's Hall with an assortment of holiday gifts and plenty of information about cancer and the importance of early detection.

Donna Hicks is a 16-year breast cancer survivor.

“I was diagnosed with cancer at 32-years-old with a two-year old child,” she said.

Although she felt her world falling apart – Hicks says cancer made her strong.

“It gave me the will to stand up and start believing and joining into the Relay for Life program to help find awareness so that we can find a cure,” she said.

Hicks is taking part in Crafting for a Cure, a fundraiser for the Kern County Probation Department’s Relay for Life team.

“We do it to raise money, to bring that funding in for cancer research, cancer cure hopefully one day we’ll be able to make a difference,” said cancer survivor, Leea Wimbish.

Most items on sale are hand-made and come from businesses sharing the same goal fighting a cure anyway they can.

“Purses are very near and dear to our hearts because we love our purses. Miche came up with a concept in 2010 of donating five dollars of each sale of each one of these shells,” said Lizbeth Boyd who works with the company, Miche.

Groups taking part in the third annual ‘crafting for a cure’ also get help from people in Uganda.

“Most of my bracelets and necklaces are made out of paper beads and they just go to the trash pick-up scrap pieces of paper cut them into triangles and then they dip them and make them into bracelets,” said Debbie Kent with the Journey of the Orphan.

Although the Relay for Life event doesn't take place until early May, several teams in Kern County spend the year hosting a variety of fundraisers to prepare for the actual event.