CULLMAN – Cullman Relay For Life is slated for May 5 this year, with plenty of events scheduled heading up to the big day.
Today, Saturday, April 22, Colton’s Cookout for a Cure will be held at Werner’s Trading Company. The Beauty of Hope Pageant will be held on April 28 on the campus of Wallace State. There will be a Survivors’ Breakfast on May 3, and a Team Rally on May 4, the day before the culminating Relay For Life event.
“Events like Bunco Night (which took place Friday evening), Colton’s Cookout and Beauty of Hope Pageant are fundraisers that teams have developed in an effort to meet the goals they have set for themselves,” Gail Crutchfield with Relay For Life said. “The Survivors’ Breakfast on May 3 and Cullman Church of Christ is a special event started several years ago as an additional outreach to area survivors, providing them with another opportunity to participate in Relay For Life, especially if they can’t make it to the main event on May 5.”
Crutchfield continued, explaining that all of these events help raise awareness of the American Cancer Society, “so hopefully if someone gets the diagnosis that they have cancer, they have a resource they can go to when they’re ready to get answers or help.”
As for the actual May 5 event, it will begin at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. Following the opening festivities will be the Survivors’ Walk, followed by the Caregivers, and then the teams, and sponsors who attend the event.
Activities and entertainment will be held through 9 p.m., when the luminary service will be held, according to Crutchfield.
“We all stop what we’re doing and take that time to honor those affected and especially those lost to the disease,” she said. “After the luminary service, teams will continue activities and contests, including a Lip Sync Battle, which is new this year. At 11:30, we’ll start winding down with the closing ceremony.”
While some charity events and organizations the size of Relay For Life can get side-tracked and lose focus, Crutchfield said that Relay For Life has remained steady in its goal.
“The goal of the event has remained consistent,” she said. “We want to help find a cure, but also let people know about ways the American Cancer Society helps people.”
The fundraising goal for this year’s event is the same as last year, $150,000, a number that was surpassed by $2,260 in 2016.
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/RFLCullmanAL.
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