Teams are already busy getting ready to Relay
By Josh Ellerbrock
Published in News on February 21, 2014 1:46 PM
"Are you ready to Relay?!"
Brenda Robinson, executive committee board chair, got cries of enthusiasm from the 300-member crowd when she asked that question during Thursday night's Wayne County Relay for Life Kick-off Banquet.
"We're so excited to have you all here tonight as we rev up our engines and join together in our efforts to finish our fight against this dreadful disease we know as cancer," she said.
During the last two decades, the Wayne County Relay for Life has become the largest Relay for Life fundraiser in North Carolina. Last year, the fundraising efforts of 92 teams, or 1,041 participants brought in $389,095.34.
This year's goal will be $425,000, the same amount as last year.
Relay for Life events around the world comprise the largest international fundraiser for cancer research and have helped fund the American Cancer Society's goal of finding a cure for cancer. Since 1913, when someone diagnosed with cancer had a 1 in 10 chance of surviving, the American Cancer Society has helped increase the chance of survival to two in three, Missions Chairperson Eunice Massengill said.
The Survivors' Banquet is set for April 24 and the official Relay for Life, taking place at the Wayne Regional Fairgrounds, is set for Friday, May 16. Fundraising has already begun.