Although the 2012 Winston County Relay For Life has already begun taking shape, it's not too late to start a team and take part in the fight against cancer.
Brandi Krajewski, co-chair of Winston County Relay For Life, said individuals and organizations are still invited to form teams to take part in the June 8 event. At the second Relay For Life team captain's meeting Thursday, Krajewski said the number of teams involved had grown but encouraged the teams and committee members in attendance to recruit more teams who want to get involved in the fight against cancer.
According to Krajewski, each team must consist of 8-15 members. Relay For Life requests that at least one team member remain on the track at all times during the event. Teams will receive T-shirts and choose campsites at Bank Night, to be held at 5:30 p.m. May 24, when teams will turn in the majority of funds they have raised. In order to qualify for a T-shirt, an individual must have raised at least $100 for Relay For Life. Campsites will be assigned on a first-come, first-pick basis.
Winston County Relay For Life is a 12-hour event on June 8th that begins at 6 p.m. and continues through the night until 6 a.m. This year, teams will set up campsites around Columbus Street downtown as an added excitement to the event. This year’s Relay will be held in the downtown area in front of Citizen’s Bank. The campsites for teams usually include tents decorated to represent the theme of the Relay. This year's theme is yet to be set, which allows the teams time to submit an idea to Krajewski prior to the next team meeting.
The evening will be filled with entertainment, activities and games. The Relay For Life committee currently needs bands and groups or individual entertainers to volunteer to play, sing or perform at the event. Last year, the entertainment included a talent show, skits and several team activities and contests.
The highlight of Relay For Life, the Luminaria Ceremony, honors those who have fought cancer or are currently fighting cancer and memorializes those who have lost their battles with cancer. The Relay For Life committee aims to sell 500 luminarias this year. Luminarias can be purchased in honor of those who have overcome cancer or are currently fighting cancer and in memory of those who have lost their lives to cancer. Multiple luminarias can be purchased for an individual. During the Luminaria Ceremony, the luminarias are lit as the names of those they honor or memorialize are read. “Go ahead and starting purchasing your Luminaria,” said Penny Crowson, Luminaria chair. Anyone interested in purchasing Luminaria should contact Penny Crowson or stop by Pennies from Heaven to purchase one or they can be purchased from any Relay For Life team.
Krajewski said the most important thing to do right now for those interested in joining the fight against cancer is to start putting a team together. "The more teams we have at Relay, the more people we have involved and the more people we have involved, the more people we have turn out at the event,” Krajewski said. “Once a team is formed, the next thing participants will want to do is choose a team captain.”
The team captains may also want to bring along another team member when attending the Relay meetings to help absorb all the information and attend in place of the captain should he or she not be able to attend a meeting. When the team has chosen a captain, it's time to start raising the money that the American Cancer Society uses to fight cancer.
Of the 8 teams at the last meeting, several teams have already started plans for raising money for Relay For Life. Winston Medical Center's Team will sponsor a soup sale Jan. 27 to raise money for the cause and has a Valentine basket raffle ongoing for $1 per chance. “WMC has been hard at work fundraising,” said Krajewski.
Team HOPE from Noxapater High School is hosting a “Bunko for Relay” night on January 30, 2012 from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm. Refreshments will be provided for those who attend. Those who wish to participate in this must register by calling Carol McAdory at 662-803-4257 to register by January 26, 2012. THere is a $15.00 game fee to be paid the night of the event and all proceeds go to the Winston County Relay for Life. Prizes will be given away to the winners. “This a great fundraiser and lots of fun,” said Krajewski.
The WCCRF Team will be selling Boston Butts on Easter Weekend April 6 to raise money for the event.
Future dates to mark on calendar for Relay:
Here are the other dates for Team Captain meetings which will be held monthly on the third Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the WMC Dining Room:
Feb. 16, 2012
March 15, 2012
April 19, 2012
May 17, 2012
Bank Night: May 24, 2012
Relay for Life: June 8, 2012
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society's signature activity. It offers everyone in the community the chance to fight against cancer. Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported and that one day, cancer will be eliminated.
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.
The national Relay For Life began in 1985 with one man who walked and ran around a track for 24 hours and raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, Relay For Life will take place in nearly 5,100 communities in the United States and 20 other countries and raise funds to support the Society’s mission of saving lives by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures and fighting back, and celebrate a world with more birthdays.
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