Carbon County residents should plan on lacing up their walking shoes and gathering their friends for the annual Relay for Life event, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
The fundraising activities are slated to start June 21 at 6 p.m. and continue through Saturday until noon.
Friday activities include the presentation of the flag, the “National Anthem” and Paul Dorius, introducing local cancer survivors. The cancer survivor walk parade of teams will be at 7 p.m., followed by entertainment. The luminary ceremony is set for 10 p.m., followed by pizza for participants at midnight.
Saturday starts with breakfast at 6 a.m. for participants, followed at 11 a.m. with a prize drawing. The awards ceremony is at 11:30 a.m. and the final lap for all team members is at noon.
There is a special invitation to all cancer survivors in Carbon county to come to the CEU track at 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 21 to register to join the “Survivors Victory Lap” at the Relay for Life 2002. The survivors victory lap will follow the opening ceremony.
There are 34 teams registered this year and they have set their goal at $60,000, which is about $7 above the final dollars raised in 2001.
According to Becky Kloepfer, chair of the event, there is still a need to volunteers and everyone is invited up to the track to encourage their friends and families to keep on walking. “We have great entertainment lined up,” said Kloepfer and there is always a need for more helpers.”
“It was a privilege and honor for all of us on the planning committee to witness the explosion of giving, the outpouring of love, and the passion of everyone involved in making it all come together,” said Kloepher and Terri Lott, co-chair.
The luminary lighting ceremony will take place at 10 p.m. The luminaries are lit in honor of patients who have lost the fight to cancer along with individuals who have won the battle against the disease.
The luminaries are strategically placed on the hill to spell out the word HOPE and also line the track to light the path for those participating in the relay.
Local residents may purchase luminaries right up to the start of the ceremony.
The Relay for Life began in 1985 when Dr. Gordon Klatt of Tacoma, Wash., took it upon himself to run/walk all alone for 24 hours at a local track to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
When Klatt reached the end of his quest, the doctor had covered a total of 81 miles and raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society.
The following year, 19 teams were formed and $2million were raised for cancer research.
In 2001, more than 2,000 teams nationwide walked and made more than $90 million to contribute to the fight against cancer.
Last year, the Rocky Mountain division, comprised of approximately 25,000 people, walked and raised more than $3.9 million for cancer research.
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