Relay for Life often brings together the community of Commerce and the city, and several groups are already out to make a difference for the fundraising event.
The fourth annual overnight event for Relay for Life will be held April 13 with Texas A&M University – Commerce students and residents from Commerce taking part.
The teams will gather at the university Memorial stadium in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
The race will allow participants from all walks of life to participate in the fight against cancer including patients, medical support staff, corporations, civic organizations, churches and community volunteers. It also serves as an awareness raiser about the progress against cancer.
The relay will have over 50 teams including groups from A&M-Commerce such as the Indian Student Association, ResLife, Phi Theta Kappa, the College of Business and Technology and the First Year Leadership class.
Many of the participants will be people who have dealt with cancer themselves.
Several of the groups will also be having fundraisers before the relay in order to raise additional money for their teams to donate.
The College of Business and Technology is holding a stew cook-off and a no-K, 10-K run, on Saturday, March 31 to donate more money.
“We decided to do this fundraiser since Dr. Langford and I are both cancer survivors and it’s our first year to be involved in the relay,” Belinda Benson, administrative assistant to the dean of College of Business and Technology, said.
The department of business and technology is involved in the fundraiser and hopes to make between $4,000 and $5,000 to donate.
“We’re excited about this event and the impact that it will have on our community,” Nicolas Helge, an undergrad student worker, said.
The stew cook-off and No-K, 10K run will be held outside of Commerce on 3501 county road 4408 and participants are urged to call (903)-243-4871 for more directions.
Participants of the event will be paying a $20 entry fee to get in the race and will receive a t-shirt for their efforts.
“The race is actually not a race at all, but rather just an effort to make money,” Benson said. “In fact, Dr. Langford has said that anyone who actually runs will not get a t-shirt.”
There is also a $20 entry fee for the stew cook-off and a $5 entry fee for the pie competition.
“It should be an interesting time and we urge people to come out and participate even as a spectator,” Benson said.
The involvement of people such as Dr. Langford and Ms. Benson serves as proof of the progress that has been made in improving cancer survival rates and the quality of life following cancer treatment.
The relay will open with cancer survivors walking or using wheelchairs to complete their first lap and serves as an emotional time for each participant.
The highlight of the event is the luminaria ceremony, which takes place after dark to honor cancer survivors and remember those who lost their fight to the disease. Luminarias line the track and are left burning throughout the night to remind participants of the importance of their efforts.
If you are interested in forming a team, donating money to a team or have questions, please feel free to visit the Web site at www.tamucrfl.com or send an email to cactamuc@yahoo.com.
All of the money that is donated to the Relay for Life goes to the American Cancer Society to fund services, programs and research.