As the calendar edges toward April, organizers for the American Cancer Society’s Lowndes County Relay for Life are gearing up for what they hope will be their best fundraiser in recent years.
Similar relays will be held in more than 5,100 locations around the world to raise money for cancer research, advocacy, education and awareness.
Last year, the Lowndes County group fell short of its $150,000 goal, raising only $146,000. This year, the bar has been set even higher, with a goal of $154,000, said Mott Ellis, who heads the state Leadership Council for Relay for Life.
Ellis devotes the majority of her time to advancing the grassroots fundraiser’s cause, serving on numerous training and advisory teams and encouraging people to register teams to walk in shifts during the 12-hour relay.
This year’s monetary goal is reachable, Ellis believes, even though the economic downturn has dampered charitable giving. Three years ago, Lowndes County raised $167,000, and not a single person set foot onto the walking track due to severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings which caused the event to be canceled.
Individuals can register and be placed on teams, or companies can organize a team, with each group choosing how they will raise money. Some hold bake sales or spaghetti dinners. Corporations sometimes offer employees the opportunity to wear blue jeans to work in exchange for a donation. Other groups sell luminaries honoring those currently battling cancer as well as those who have lost their battle.
If organizing such an event seems like a lot of work, it is. If Ellis seems like a reservoir of enthusiasm and positivity, it’s because she has a personal reason for being involved. She lost her mother to lung cancer in 2004, and her husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005.
“Those are the two reasons I continue to do what I do,” she said Tuesday. “Each day, we hear of more and more people diagnosed with cancer. We’ve got to fight this for our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I have dedicated my life’s work to help in any way I can.”
The local event will be held April 27 on the soccer field at Columbus High School. Teams sign up to walk laps around the field, keeping at least one person walking during the 12 hours. The relay will kick off at 6 p.m. and continue until daylight.
“Cancer doesn’t sleep, and we won’t either,” Ellis said, explaining the logic behind the night event.
The first lap will be walked by cancer survivors. The second lap will be walked by caregivers, and after dark, there will be a candelight service in honor of those fighting cancer and those taken by the disease.
Relay efforts began in January, and Ellis said 47 teams have registered so far. She hopes at least 55 teams will sign up — the more, the better. Every team represents another chance to earn money.
Some people have chosen unique ways to raise funds.
Randy Futral, president and owner of Starkville-based ACR Coach, a charter bus company, came up with the idea of wrapping one of his 22 buses in a vinyl sheath sporting the Relay for Life signage. Every time a group charters that bus, he will donate five percent of the revenue to the Lowndes County Relay for Life.
An average charter trip to Jackson can cost as much as $1,200 or more, he said. Multi-day trips can cost as much as $2,500.
The vinyl wrap will remain on the bus for six months. Futral hopes to raise $5,000 for the cause.
The relay is a community event that can be enjoyed by the whole family, Ellis said. Games, food and activities for all ages will be offered. She said community involvement is critical to the mission’s success.
“We need more teams,” Ellis said. “Without teams, we can’t have a relay.”
The international event began in Tacoma, Wash. in 1985, when a Tacoma colorectal surgeon — Dr. Gordy Klatt — decided to raise money for the American Cancer Society by running a marathon. He ran more than 83 miles in 24 hours, with friends donating $25 apiece to run or walk with him for 30 minutes.
Klatt raised $27,000 that day, and the seeds were sown for what would eventually become Relay for Life as it is known today.
More than 3.5 million people around the world are expected to participate in their communities this year.
Individuals or companies who wish to participate in the Lowndes County Relay for Life can call Ellis at 662-574-1104.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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