Marengo County Relay for Life has gotten under way, and area citizens will likely see fund-raisers out soon, collecting money for the American Cancer Society.

Relay for Life is the annual fund-raising even for the American Cancer Society that has comminities working as teams to raise money for cancer research. This year’s Marengo County goal is $85,000. Last year, Marengo teams raised more than $81,000.

People in communities form teams as find ways to raise money, then on the day of the event, the teams come together for one big hoopla and a final chance to raise more funds in the search for a cure.

For Marengo County, the big day will be on Friday, April 24, when teams will gather at River Field in Demopolis.

Cancer victims and survivors will be honored through ceremonies and through luminaries, which are candlelit bags with the name of a loved one who has suffered through cancer and has either won the fight or fallen victim.

Luminaries are available through local luminary chair Shelia Snow, who has worked with Relay for Life for several years in Murray, Ky.

“I got involved with Relay for Life because my grandmother died of cancer and my mother-in-law died of cancer,” she said. “One of my friends has benefitted from Relay money that went to Hope Lodge in Nashville, which houses families of cancer patients.”

To order a luminary, fill out the form found on this page of The Demopolis Times or in businesses around Demopolis. Each luminary costs $5, or $10 for those who want to feature the photo of a loved one in a PowerPoint production to be shown at the Relay event on April 24. Those photos should be turned in by April 21.

Relay for Life is a way for communities to have fun and be competitive in raising funds for research that could lead to a cure for a disease that strikes the families and friends of everyone. Gather friends and form a Relay for Life team and have fun while helping to find a cure.

More information about Relay for Life and how you can contribute can be found in the advertisement below.