Dream Big, Hope Big, Relay Big is the national theme for Relay for Life 2013. Funds from Relay for Life benefit the American Cancer Society to help fund cancer research.
Relay co-chair Sharon Walker said over 30 teams have already signed up for this year’s event which will be held Friday night, June 7, and she is hoping for more. “We are aiming for 50 or more teams. We had 50 or so last year and we are hoping for that many or more this year,” she said.
Relay 2013 teams will be meeting every month on the fourth Monday of the month at Caney Fork Electric at 6 p.m. The next meeting will be held Feb. 25.
“Anyone interested in registering a former team or registering a new team is welcome. We also welcome anyone who just wants to find out more about Relay for Life,” said Walker.
Warren County’s Relay for Life is held at Nunley Stadium at Warren County Middle School. Teams are encouraged to set up booths either selling items or playing games which raise money for Relay, which in turn is used in the fight against cancer.
“This year we a playing on the word ‘big,’” said Walker. “We want teams to decorate and play up their booths to whatever big means to them.”
Relay for Life is an all-night event beginning Friday evening and continuing until Saturday morning with food, entertainment and activities for all ages.
The actual Relay event tops off a year-long fundraising effort for many Relay teams. Yard sales, auctions, car washes, dinners and special events are a staple of fundraising initiatives, all of which benefit the overall total of funds raised by Relay for Life.
Walker said many teams have already started their fundraising efforts. “One team will be having a chili supper in February,” she said.
Relay for Life features a survivor lap where cancer survivors walk in unison to show cancer can be beaten. There is also a luminaria ceremony in which the lights of the stadium are turned down for the lighting of candles in honor, or remembrance, of those who have battled the disease.
Warren County’s Relay for Life 2012 team raised approximately $140,000, according to Walker.
“We were 16th in the nation last year in terms of per capita money raised so we’re proud of that,” she said.
For more information about Warren County’s Relay for Life 2013, call Walker at 808-5338.