Relay For Life 2015

Relay For Life of Cullman County readies for May 1 event
 
Relay For Life of Cullman County is gearing up for the 2015 event at Cullman County Fairgrounds, and there is still time for teams and individuals to join in the fight against cancer.
 
The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Cullman County will be held starting at 6 p.m., Friday, May 1 at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. The event is a culmination of months of fundraising efforts by groups of people who want to see a cure for cancer.
 
This year’s Relay will be a six-hour event, ending at midnight on Saturday, May 2. Teams who wish to celebrate their efforts and/or raise more funds will be on site with food, games and activities for the whole family.
 
As always, survivors and caregivers will play a large role in Relay For Life events. Survivors will be celebrated as they make the first lap around the fairgrounds after the opening ceremonies. Caregivers are asked the join them on the next lap, with the teams following for the third lap. The always-moving luminary ceremony will be held after sundown, with closing ceremonies beginning as midnight approaches.
 
“The goal is to have participants walking the paved trail for the entire event as a way to signify the minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour battle that cancer patients and their family and friends go through each day,” said Helen Allen, a 20-plus year participant of Relay For Life of Cullman County. “But mainly we would just like people to show up to support the survivors, the caregivers, the teams, the sponsors and everyone who has worked so hard to help the Relay For Life of Cullman County.”
 
The money raised through Relay For Life goes to fund cancer research, patient support efforts and programs offered by the American Cancer Society. Research funded by the American Cancer Society has helped millions of people all over the world and in our own area. In the last 65 years, ACS has spent more than $4 billion for cancer research. Their research projects range from how to cure cancer to how to prevent cancer in the first place.
 
Support programs are offered in many ways, from programs that connect people going through similar situations, to access to lodging, to the 24/7 assistance offered via phone and the Internet. Hope Lodge is one such support program. There are more than 30 Hope Lodges in the United States, including one in Birmingham, where cancer patients from Cullman and surrounding areas can turn to when they need a place to stay while undergoing treatments.
 
Anyone with an interest to participating in Relay For Life of Cullman County as a team, team member, survivor or sponsor can call Helen Allen at (256) 709-4019 or visit www.relayforlife.org/cullmanal. For more information about ACS or for 24/7 access to information about all types of cancer, treatment, research, programs and more, visit www.cancer.org or call toll free (800) 227-2345.