The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Aroostook County will hold a free kickoff for the annual event on Tuesday, January 26 at 6:00pm at the Chan Center at Cary Medical Center in Caribou. Everyone is invited to the kickoff to learn about how to help the American Cancer Society save more lives from cancer.

The program will highlight how the community has benefited from funds raised and will honor cancer survivors and caregivers. Guests will have the opportunity to register a team for the Relay For Life event, which will be held on June 17-18 at Caribou High School. This year’s event theme of “Game Over Cancer, We’re In It To Win It” will be highlighted throughout the kickoff, giving the event a fun and entertaining feel.

The Relay For Life movement unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. Relay For Life events are community gatherings where teams and individuals camp out at a school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Teams participate in fundraising in the months leading up to the event.

The Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest fundraising event to fight every cancer in every community, with four million participants in 6,000 events worldwide in 2015. Last year, 28 teams and over 400 people participated in the Relay For Life of Aroostook County and raised over $113,000 making it the 2nd largest Relay For Life event in the state for fundraising efforts. The Aroostook County event is also home to the top fundraising team in the state in 2015, Team McCain Searching For A Cure, raising over $16,000. The team captain of that team, John Bishop, was the top fundraising participant in the state, raising over $10,000.

“This is the community’s opportunity to help save lives from cancer by taking our message to more people and raising more dollars to fund the fight,” said Margo Stevens, American Cancer Society Relay For Life Community Manager. “Together, our efforts can make a big difference.”

Visit relayforlife.org/aroostookme or on Facebook at Aroostook Relay For Life to learn more about the event, or contact Margo Stevens at [email protected].