On June 1, the American Cancer Society will hold its annual Relay for Life of Dover. Since 1985, Relay for Life has grown from one man- Dr. Gordy Klatt, who walked, jogged, and ran around a track for 24 hours raising money for his local American Cancer Society unit- to a movement to eliminate cancer that now takes place in more than 5,100 communities in the United States and in 20 other countries around the world. Nearly four million people participate in the life-changing event, which has raised a total of more than $4 billion to fund the American Cancer Society’s mission.

Relay for Life is about Celebrating, Remembering, and Fighting Back.

- Celebrate cancer survivors by inviting all local cancer survivors to start each Relay event. The Survivors Lap honors those who have won their fight against cancer and those currently undergoing treatment.

- Remember all of those touched with cancer with the Luminaria Ceremony after dusk. The track is lined with luminaria marked with names of those who survived and those who lost their battle with cancer.

- Fight Back by raising money for research, education, local patient services, and advocacy.

Everyone in Tuscarawas County (and surrounding areas) is invited to attend. This team event builds friendship among team members by having fun and raising money for the fight against cancer. Those who attend can expect music, entertainment, games, contests, and camaraderie.

Relay for Life of Dover would like to raise $159,000 and have 65 teams participating in this year’s event. To reach that goal, community support is needed. By forming a team from companies, churches, schools, neighborhoods, friends, family, etc., participants will be part of a great community event and raise funds to improve the quality of life for cancer patients today and the outlook for those diagnosed in the future.

To learn more about this important event, plan to attend the first informational meeting of the year. It will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 6:30 p.m., in the downstairs fellowship hall at St. John’s Church, located at 409 Wooster Avenue in Dover. Or call or email the Relay for Life of Dover committee chairs: Cindy Wood at 330-204-5015 or caw122156@hotmail.com, or Connie Lawver at 330-340-4935 or nal520@roadrunner.com.

It’s about being a community that takes up the fight against cancer.

For information about Relay For Life or about cancer, call 800-227-2345 or visit the American Cancer Society website at http://www.cancer.org.