Heads up to all who support and participate in Crenshaw County’s Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society: big changes are coming this year to the annual event.

And these are changes that organizers hope will reinforce just what  Relay is all about, says Kay Franklin, community development manager for ACS’s Remote South Region.

“Every year we have great support from our county’s cancer survivors and their caregivers at our annual Survivors Dinner. But the numbers tend to diminish in terms of their attendance at our actual Relay, perhaps due to issues with getting to Relay—and survivors are the heart of our event,” Franklin explains.

“So this year–you could say we are going to bring Relay to the survivors.”

On Tuesday, April 24, the Crenshaw County Relay For Life will, for the first time, be held in conjunction with the Survivors Dinner.

“All our teams are encouraged to join us as we recognize and celebrate our survivors, beginning at 6 p.m. We felt it was so important for every team to be able to join in our celebration with our wonderful survivors,” Franklin says.

At the conclusion of the dinner, which will also include entertainment and door prizes for the honorees, Relay will officially begin. All teams will be recognized for their fundraising efforts that night, with the annual Luminaria Ceremony rounding out Relay 2018.

“The Luminaria Ceremony is a such a special time; a time to remember those who have battled cancer and both lost and won that fight.  Luminaria bags, each one bearing the name of someone who has fought this disease, will contain candles to be lit in those individuals’ honor/memory. We really want our survivors and caregivers, as well as our teams, to all be able to be a part of this amazing, inspiring candlelight event.”

Franklin says organizers hope the newly combined and truncated Survivors Dinner/ Relay will benefit both teams and survivors.

“We will be taking away the stress for teams of having to set up, decorate and take down campsites, for example. And we certainly hope it will make for a very meaningful event for our survivors and their caregivers, because they, after all, are the focal point of Relay,” Franklin stresses.

“We encourage the community to not only support our fundraising efforts, but to celebrate with our survivors.”

For more information, please call 334-670-8174 or visit the Relay website at www.relayforlife.org/crenshawal.  Luminarias can be purchased online or forms can be picked up at the Luverne Public Library.