Preparations for Relay for Life begin Jan. 25
Published 10:45 am Tuesday, January 16, 2024
- Event Team Leadership Chairperson, Helen Allen, center, Elena Caudle, right, and guest speaker and cancer survivor Lindsey Jones during the 2023 Relay for Life walk. Jones was almost 4-years-old when she was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, usually found only in teenage boys. The aggressive disease caused a tumor the size of a lemon to form behind her sinuses, and that pressed on her optic nerve until her blindness became total. Jones recently completed an internship with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) Regional Center in Huntsville.
Despite being months away from the main event, local volunteers are beginning to make preparations for the annual Relay for Life event scheduled for Saturday, April 27.
Local events team chairperson Helen Allen said a “kick-off” meeting is planned for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 (rescheduled from Jan. 18 due to weather) in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church. During the meeting volunteers, participants and sponsors will begin the process of making the vision for this year’s event a reality.
Allen said, like most things pop-culture-related over the past year, this year’s Eras of Hope theme drew its inspiration from the worldwide phenomenon Era’s Tour from Taylor Swift. However, she said participating teams won’t be boxed in to “Taylor’s Version,” but instead will be able to celebrate any era of their choosing.
“The idea came from this [Taylor Swift] tour but for it to all relate back to Relay. We said they could take a decade, a year, or anything really relating to society and things. They can also pick what has happened with Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society over the decades,” Allen said.
With renovations and expansions still being planned at Depot Park, Allen said organizers are still in “limbo” as far as specifics for the event, but are planning to utilize the more spacious area to their advantage
“We don’t know a whole lot about how we’re going to have things set up until things get settled down. But we are going to try to use the whole park and set up wherever the stage is. We’ve just got to go with it and see how it’s going to be by April,” she said.
In an emailed statement to The Times, Allen noted the importance of the organization’s work in the fight against cancer.
“A cancer diagnosis is devastating, but catching it early provides patients with a much greater chance of survival, avoiding the treatments we all fear,” she said. “Supporting research is crucial for developing more effective tests and treatments. We must continue to back these efforts for the benefit of future generations.”
Other Relay for Life events will include a Survivor’s Breakfast on April 24 at 7 a.m. at Cullman Church of Christ and a Survivor’s Dinner at 5 p.m., April 27, across the street from Depot Park.
To volunteer or register a team visit relayforlife.org/cullmanal.
