Relay For Life Kick-Off Event planned for February 25
Payson, AZ (February 16, 2011) – The Rim Country's American Cancer Society's “Relay For Life” is holding it's annual "Kickoff Event" on Friday, February 25 starting at 6:30 p.m. The event is being held at the Payson First Church of the Nazarene located at 200 East Tyler Parkway.
The Relay for Life Kick-Off Event is for survivors, caregivers and those who wish to start their own teams to beat cancer. The Kick-Off Event is traditionally the start of a campaign to develop teams and fundraising events culminating in the Relay. Teams raise funds through a variety of their own events, including bake sales, rummage sales, car washes and more. Last year, the Payson Relay For Life raised more than $35,000. The majority of the funds stay in the Payson area. The funds are used in the community to provide educational materials, funding for wigs and college scholarships.
Relay For Life began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer.
About Team Captains and Team Members
The Kick-Off Event is an educational opportunity for those who are thinking of starting a team. Team Captains and Team Members are the "foot-soldiers" in the fight against cancer. Teams are made up of 8-15 people who share a passion and commitment to raise money throughout the year. Fund-raising efforts are culminated and celebrated at the actual Relay For Life event.
Team Captains lead their team by representing them at monthly update meetings in your community. Team Captains are the liaisons between the Event committee and their team. Team Captains organize and delegate the team's fund-raising events throughout the year - as well as the team's participation in activities throughout the night of the event.
Relay For Life is a long event. In order to make sure that each team has someone on the track at all times, you're going to need team members. Team Members help out by participating in team and individual fund-raisers throughout the year. At the Relay For Life event, team members take turns walking around the track. Some will walk in the afternoon. Some will walk in the evening. And yes, some will even walk the "zombie" shift (the wee hours of the morning). Teams can be composed of friends, families, co-workers, companies, churches, social clubs, offices, small businesses...and the list goes on. Any combination of 8-15 people can be a team...as long as they share a passion to fight back for a cure.
The Payson Relay For Life is on Friday June 3, beginning at 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning, cancer survivors, their caregivers, family and friends walk the track at Payson High School. The event includes a memorial walk to survivors and those who lost their battle with cancer.
The Kick Off event is Friday, February 25 at the Payson First Church of the Nazarene starting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Jan Parsons at 978-7606, or go to www.RimRelay.com.
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