By By Adrienne McKenzie
"Cancer has no borders.' That's the theme for the 2008 Relay for Life event because cancer does not discriminate against age, gender or race.
Relay for Life in Atmore is kicking off tomorrow afternoon and according to committee co-chairs Becky Ganey and Deborah Camp, the kickoff, as well as the entire Relay, will be successful this year.
"We have high hopes that we will raise lots of money so that hopefully we can help find a cure for this dreaded disease," Ganey said.
Camp said Atmore community members are already buzzing about Relay.
"There's already excitement through the town," Camp said. "I think we can bypass last year's goal."
The kickoff for Relay for Life will be held tomorrow from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Atmore Area YMCA and area resident Diane Boatwright will be the guest speaker.
"I've heard she's a wonderful speaker," Camp said.
Anybody who is interested in Relay is welcome to attend the kickoff event, Ganey said.
"Team captains and any other team members that would like to attend may come," she said. "Anybody that's interested in having a team are welcome to join. We want them to come on and sign up."
This year's theme was chosen because it is different than any other themes Atmore Relay has ever had and because it is a true statement, cancer really does not have any borders.
"We chose the theme basically because cancer has no preference over race, gender, religion, anything," Ganey said.
"It was something different and unique that has not been done before in Atmore," Camp said. "It lets everybody be a little bit more creative with their set up at the actual relay."
Ganey said they are not certain how many teams there are this year.
"We haven't gotten a count yet," she said. "We are hoping that we will have a good turnout at the kickoff."
The actual Relay for Life event will be held either April 19 or 26, Ganey said.
"Once we find out all the team members, we'll let them decide which date is the best," she said.
Camp said she is thrilled about the Relay event this year and that she hopes a lot of community members are excited as well.
"More than anything I'm excited about it," she said. "We're trying to make it a little different than what we've done in the past. We are trying to get more community members involved."
Tickets for the kickoff event can be purchased at United Bank, First National Bank and Trust, Regions Bank and the Atmore News before the event. Also, tickets can be purchased at the door. Each ticket is $5.