First Posted: 5/2/2013

Walkers will go around the clock in the battle against cancer today when the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Richmond County gets under way at Rockingham Speedway.

The theme for the 2013 event is Racing For A Cure at The Rock.

“We are so excited to have our event at Rockingham Speedway and hope the community will come out and enjoy the new venue,” said co-chair Linda Bayless.

Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their fund raising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their camp sites during Relay.

Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups — people from all walks of life — all aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives by helping people stay well, by helping them get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.

The Richmond County event has 32 teams consisting of individuals, businesses, churches and schools participating in the 2013 event. The event begins at 6 p.m. Friday and will end at midnight. There will be an abundance of food choices such as stuffed baked potatoes, strawberry shortcake, and hamburgers. Kids’ activities and free entertainment will also be part of the fun at Friday night’s event.

Individuals attending the event will need to enter through Gate B located on Highway U.S. 1. The event will be located in the infield of Rockingham Speedway. Shuttles will be provided for all who need assistance traveling into the infield.

“Relay is a unique opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against the disease,” said Ann Wheeler, survivorship chair for the Relay. “Many of the participants are cancer survivors.”

Relay For Life’s Luminaria Ceremony takes place at 9 p.m., honoring the community’s cancer survivors and remembering those lost to the disease. Participants will circle a track that is surrounded with glowing luminaria that bear the name of someone who has battled cancer. Luminaria may be purchased for $10 at the event or by visiting relayforlife.org/richmondnc.

To locate a Relay For Life event and find out how you may get involved, call Cameron Whitley at 910-334-0207, or visit RelayForLife.org.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer, according to the organization’s website. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, “we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community,” says the Society.

“We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year,” says the Society.

To learn more call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.