Floyd County Relay for Life to hold kickoff celebration Thursday, Feb. 7
Relay For Life of Floyd County will reveal its Relay 2013 theme at a kickoff celebration at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Floyd UMC.
Attendees will be able to learn how to create a team, join an existing team, participate as a survivor or caregiver, involve local connections, support other Relay participants, and receive helpful resources and information. It’s a great opportunity to find out what Relay is all about and how to get involved. Light refreshments will be served.
Anyone can get together a team. All it takes is someone who wants to help fight against cancer, someone who doesn’t mind raising $100 either through individual fundraising or team fundraising, and someone who wants to have a lot of fun.
Church teams can reach out to the community affected by cancer while they support their own survivors. The spiritual impact of cancer is just as important as the physical impact. Participating churches in Floyd County this past year were Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren, Copper Hill Church of the Brethren, Floyd Baptist, Floyd United Methodist, Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren, Slate Mountain, Stonewall Church, and Topeco Church of the Brethren.
Civic organizations also continue to show their support for Floyd County. Although Floyd County Station 1 Fire Department is an entirely volunteer-based organization, its members time and again show their commitment to the community by not only fundraising to support their own department but also fundraising to join the fight against cancer.
Businesses that support Relay teams and fundraising within their work force prove to employees that they genuinely care about what their employees care about. This can build morale, which in turn can boost work productivity. Also, what a way to show those employees who are survivors that you are not only supporting a cause in their name, but that they care about the community that supports them! Floyd County, although it doesn’t have many major corporations, has more corporate sponsors than many larger cities in Southwest Virginia. Turman Group, Milestones Daycare, Skyline Nursing Home and Dex Trucking can see firsthand what supporting teams in their workplace can accomplish.
Schools have a huge opportunity to teach students that a single person can make a difference and that together we can make a tremendous impact on those around us. The American Cancer Society has information available to teach children about proper nutrition, exercise, sunscreen, and staying smoke free to play an active role in reducing their chances of getting cancer. The school teams this past year were Floyd, Willis and Check elementary schools. We are hoping to have 100 percent school participation this year if Floyd County High School and Indian Valley Elementary get involved.
Friends and family teams, generally formed in the name of loved ones who are being honored or remembered, are a wonderful asset to Relay For Life. What a way to pay a respect to those loved ones! One such team was the Rowdy Relayers, which has been participating for more than a decade. They would love to have many more of these teams that want to take it to a personal level in fighting for their loved ones.
– Submitted by Tracey Miller
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