Pictured L-R: Michelle Kimbrough, Haley Marecle, Mayor Woody Jacobs, Gail Crutchfield and Linda Walker
CULLMAN – Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs on Friday proclaimed May 4, 2018 “Relay for Life Day” in the city of Cullman in honor of the upcoming 2018 Cullman County Relay for Life event. On hand to receive the proclamation from Jacobs were Haley Marecle, Helen Allen, Gail Crutchfield and Linda Walker.
This year marks the 25th year of Cullman County’s involvement with Relay for Life, a grass roots, community-based team event that is the signature fundraiser and awareness event for the American Cancer Society. The event will take place on Friday, May 4, 2018, at the Cullman County Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is “In It to Win It: The Fight Against Cancer is Not a Game!”
Opening ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by the Survivor/Caregiver Walk. Following the walk, a Luminaria Ceremony will be held, with each light representing a life – a life taken by cancer, a survivor or cancer, or a support for a person still fighting the disease. Then the event will close with a celebration of what was accomplished and a unified commitment to take action and help lead the fight for a world free from cancer.
“Relay for Life is a very important event and I appreciate those folks who coordinate the event and everyone who participates or donates,” said Mayor Jacobs. “I encourage everyone to take part in or support Relay for Life and other related events.”
Relay for Life began in May of 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington, raising $27,000 for the American Cancer Society to help fight cancer. From that event, the Relay for Life movement has grown into a global event raising billions to fight cancer and symbolizing the emotional commitment each of us can make in the fight against cancer.
Cullman County’s first Relay for Life event was held in 1994 in memory of Jimmy Gilley and raised $81,000 for the American Cancer Society. Since then, the local event has raised well over $1 million through efforts by local volunteers, sponsors, and teams. Teams that participated in that 1994 event were issued a special invitation to return this year for the 25th anniversary.
The American Cancer Society, the nation’s largest and most respected voluntary health organization, predicts that there will be an estimated 1,735,350 new cancer cases diagnosed and 609,640 cancer deaths in the United States in 2018. The American Cancer Society is making progress toward a world without cancer, and fundraising and awareness campaigns like Relay for Life help them get closer to that goal.
For information on the Cullman County Relay for Life event visit www.cullmanrelay.wordpress.com.
For more information about Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s ongoing fight against cancer, visit www.cancer.org.
