On Friday, Aug. 5, over 150 Merrill area residents will join together at the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Merrill to help save more lives from cancer. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. at the Merrill Festival Grounds. This year the theme is “There’s No Place Like Hope,” a Wizard of Oz theme. The opening ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. followed by the traditional high-five tunnel and survivor lap. The popular and beautiful luminaria ceremony will begin at 9 p.m. A fireworks show will follow the luminaria ceremony, with seating available in the grandstand. A variety of wonderful food choices will be available onsite in the concession stands, as well as other fun family activities including a petting zoo, horse-drawn carriage rides, a scavenger hunt and more. The Merrill Rotary Club will serve a pancake breakfast in the morning and the winners of the very popular annual drawings announced.
The Relay For Life movement unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. Relay For Life events are community gatherings where teams and individuals participate at a school, park or fairground and many take turns walking or running around a track or path as a symbol of the fight against cancer. The entire community is welcome to come share the experience, and are welcome to bring lawn chairs to enjoy the evening or pitch a tent or camper to stay overnight! Teams participate in fundraising in the months leading up to and following the event as well as through a variety of activities at the park on the day of the event. This is a family-oriented event for people who want to see cancer eliminated. Everyone is welcome come and stay as long as they like.
The Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest fundraising event to fight every cancer in every community, with four million participants in 6,000 events worldwide in 2015. In 2015, over 140 people participated in the Relay For Life event in Merrill to raise over $63,000. It’s about all cancer, all people, everywhere.
Dollars raised help the American Cancer Society save lives by funding groundbreaking cancer research, supporting education and risk reduction efforts, and providing free information and critical services for people with cancer who need them. No one understands how vital these services are more than local cancer survivors who utilize the free lodging opportunity for patients and caregivers at Hope Lodge, or free or reduced lodging through our partners, when they need to receive treatment away from home; the Look Good Feel Better Program; free prosthesis and wigs, services through the 800-ACS-2345 Cancer Resource Network and who benefitted from the research funded by the American Cancer Society.
Deloris Bauman, the event lead is thrilled to have the area’s residents join together to reach more people and raise additional funds.
“We are pleased at the opportunity to bring so many people together and share our passion for ending cancer. We know Relay For Life is about ordinary people who together have extraordinary powers to fight back against cancer. It shows how powerful we can be when we join together in in a common cause to take up the fight against cancer!”
In addition to the support of the community, Relay For Life of Merrill is also supported by many businesses and organizations. Among the event’s 2016 sponsors are: Ministry Health Care, Church Mutual Insurance, Dave’s County Market, Ho-Chunk Gaming, Merrill Firefighter Charities and Truck Country of Wisconsin.
Take action this year and help make eliminating cancer a priority by participating in or donating to the Relay For Life of Merrill by calling 800-ACS-2345 or visiting the event’s website at www.relayforlife.org/merrillwi. To learn more about the event Contact Diane Geis at 715-891-2061 or [email protected].