American Cancer Society sets relay dates, locations

Volunteer committees across the region are recruiting Relay for Life teams.

STAFF REPORT

CANFIELD — The American Cancer Society has set dates and locations of the 50 2009 Relay For Life events planned in the 13 counties in the Northeast Ohio Region.

This is a special year because it is the 25th anniversary of Relay for Life, said Shannon Ealy, the ACS’s Northeast Ohio Regional income development director.

The area relays did not start until the mid-1990s, or later. But nationally, the relay was started in 1985 by Dr. Gordon Klatt of Tacoma, Wash., who spent 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Ealy said.

Now a national event conducted in communities across the country and the American Cancer Society’s signature fund-raising and cancer -awareness event, relay is an overnight event conducted on weekends during the months of March to July. Relays range from 18 to 24 hours, during which teams of 10 to 15 participate by walking or running around a track or designated area, Ealy said.

Volunteer committees recruit relay teams from businesses, schools, families, friends and other groups. One or two individuals from each team are assigned a time to walk or run around a track or designated area. Others on the team stay back and relax at their tent site or take part in the activities planned by the committee.

While 10 to 15 people normally participate on each team, there are instances where not that many are available. If there is someone who wants to be involved, but they have difficulty recruiting enough people, ACS can match them up with other individuals to form a team, Ealy said.

Relay is a noncompetitive event with a three-fold purpose. It gives cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment an opportunity to be recognized and honored; it provides a venue to educate participants about ways to prevent cancer, and it raises income that the ACS uses for cancer research and education and for advocacy and services for patients, officials said.

Relay For Life is an event that brings people together to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and to remember loved ones who have died from the disease. Everyone involved has a common reason for their involvement, to find a cure, Ealy said.

To learn more about Relay For Life, call the American Cancer Society toll-free at (800) 227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

alcorn@vindy.com