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January 14, 2010

Relay for Life kickoff tonight at First United Methodist Church

By Tiffany Green The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — The Relay for Life kickoff event will be held tonight at 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church’s Hearin Hall.

Anyone interested in being a part of Relay or having a team is invited to attend.

“The Relay For Life Kickoff is an event where families, caregivers, cancer survivors, schools, companies and others will join together to begin the community’s annual Relay For Life activities,” said Lindsey Dossey, Relay For Life of Cullman County Communications Chair.

This will be an opportunity for people to register teams and sign up to serve as Relay volunteers.

This year’s event will feature a Cullman City v. Cullman County Community Kickoff Challenge.

Local education and community leaders will show-off their acting skills while educating people about the Relay for Life event through puppet shows and story time.

Special guest speaker will be Danielle Mauer, a cancer survivor and an American Cancer Society Hero of Hope. At the age of 15, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A month after her diagnosis, her father was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

She is currently a student at Auburn University and the Luminaria Chair for the Relay For Life of Auburn University.

The Relay committee hopes to have an even bigger Relay this year.

“We had approximately 70 teams that participated in last year’s Relay and our goal is to have at least 92 teams for this year’s event,” Dossey said.

This year’s goal is $330,000. Last year, just over $300,000 was raised, but short of the $350,000 goal.

The 2010 Relay For Life of Cullman County will be held at Heritage Park on Friday, May 7, 2010 at 7 p.m..

Refreshments will be served and prizes will be given away.

Relay for Life is a 24 hour national fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Since 1985, when Relay first began, more than 3.5 million people participate each year.  The funds raised allow the American Cancer Society to continue supporting cancer research, its state and national legislative advocacy and the Society’s many educational and community service programs.

Cullman County’s Relay has been selected as an enrollment site for the third Cancer Prevention Study of the American Cancer Society. More about this will be shared at the meeting.

Relay volunteers are currently being recruited to help serve on the planning committee. Subcommittees include: Team recruitment, ceremonies, corporate sponsorship recruitment, fundraising, survivorship, entertainment, leadership development and more.

For more information about Relay For Life of Cullman County Kickoff Rally, to register a team or to serve as a volunteer, contact Gidgett Overton at (256) 736-1506, via e-mail at gidgett.overton@cancer.org or visit online at  www.RelayForLife.org/cullman.



* Tiffany Green can be reached by e-mail at tgreen@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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