The Scioto County Relay For Life recently held an open house to recruit new teams and volunteers for the relay, which is set to take place June 19-20 at the Scioto County Fairgrounds.

At the open house several new teams signed up to participate in this year’s relay, which is encouraging to Event Chair Jane Gee, who explained “this is going to be a big year.

“We are in the planning stages for the relay. This year, like other years we will have entertainment and we will also have luminaria lining the track,” Gee explained.

She said last year the relay was opened with a survivor lap. In 2008 a survivor and caregiver lap were added, and will be continued this year. A a survivor dinner will follow the laps.

Entertainment will be provided throughout the event, along with on-site fundraisers. Plans are in place to have a jail-and-bail again this year. The jail-and-bail is where someone pays to have someone arrested and put in a cage and others have to pay to get them out.

Also planned is a “smash-a-car” event. Food will be available and other fun events are planned.

“We had 25 teams last year. I have not heard of any that are not coming back. We have signed up a number of new teams so we are expecting team numbers to rise this year,” Gee said.

Planning for the Relay For Life is a year-long effort. When one relay ends the planning for next year’s event begins.

The level of planning takes many willing and dedicated volunteers to make the event happen.

Relay For Life events are held all across the country as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, which uses the money for breast cancer research.

It was estimated in 2008 that about 56,840 Ohioans would be diagnosed with cancer and approximately 24,410 would die from this disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Early detection and prevention, and research funded by organizations such as the American Cancer Society, have increased the five-year survival rate for these patients to 66 percent. Relay For Life is an 18-hour event that brings together teams from local businesses, schools, churches and families, for fun, food, music, entertainment and a night under the stars, while team members take turns walking on a track.

For more information about the Scioto County Relay For Life, contact local event call Jane Gee, 259-5096 or call Alisha Thomas-Newberry at alisha.thomas@cancer.org or 888-227-6446x3202.

Wayne Allen can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 208.