WENDELL - Less than two weeks after one of their former leaders was charged with taking money donated to the Eastern Wake Relay for Life, volunteers gathered to make plans for next year's event and to learn more about the scope of the crime.

Wendell police Chief Vance Johnson met with team captains and officials with the American Cancer Society for about 20 minutes Thursday night to tell them that he believes the incident was an isolated problem. He credited ACS officials with bringing the problem to light.

Police charged David Mangum, of Wendell, on Oct. 13 with three counts of embezzlement after discovering that about $6,000 in donations had been mishandled. Some of the money was deposited long after it was turned in by team captains and some was never deposited.

On Thursday, though, Johnson told about a group of about 30 volunteers not to let the problem dampen their spirits for the cause they support.

"I think people are going to get behind you and support just like they have in the past," Johnson said.

Johnson told the team captains it was possible that Mangum could avoid prison time even if he is convicted. But Johnson also said it would be likely that any penalty Mangum might face would likely include a requirement that he repay the money. He also told the group that his investigators had not looked at the organization's records going back further than last year.

Casey Little, a senior community manager with ACS, told the group that it is natural to feel doubts about the organization in the wake of the scandal, but she said team captains should know that the problems created a learning experience.

"We had processes in place that caught this before it got any worse. And we are strengthening those processes as a result of this event," Little said.

Dan Thorpe, the ACS area director for the region that includes Wake County, said the fallout from the theft hasn't been as bad as some feared.

"We were hearing people question if there would even be a Relay for Life this year, but we haven't lost a single team captain over this and they are vowing to make this year better than last year," Thorpe said.

Vickie Curtis is the new chairman of the East Wake Relay for Life. She says the community's response in the wake of the theft has been largely positive.

"We've all gotten phone calls and e-mails from people who tell us they know it wasn't a Relay problem. It was a problem with one person," Curtis said.

She is setting aggressive goals for the organization despite the negative publicity generated by the disappearance of the money.

Last year's Survivor's lap included 130 cancer survivors. In the past, Curtis said the Relay has attracted as many as 300 survivors. She's hoping to approach that number again this year.

Last year's Relay raised just over $110,000. That marks a decline from previous years. In 2008, the Relay raised $132,000 and in 2007, the event raised nearly $179,000. That money is used by the American Cancer Society for medical research and support of cancer victims and their families.

This year's event will take place May 21-22, 2010 at Five-County Stadium.