HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Relay For Life will kickoff the 2009 fundraising event at a celebration to be held 10-4 p.m. April 28 in the Nugget Events Center. Pictured here is last years victory lap at the actual event held at Petrack Park. Advertisement

The American Cancer Society will kick off Relay For Life with a celebration scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 at the Pahrump Nugget.

Individuals may wish to honor cancer survivors, anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer, caregivers or pay tribute to those who lost the battle to a celebration.

There will be entertainment, chance drawings and prizes throughout the day.

In 1985, Relay For Life began with one man who walked and ran around a track for 24 hours. He raised $27,000 for the cause. This year, the event will be scheduled in more than 4,800 communities in the country.

The kick-off is when families, caregivers, survivors, schools companies, etc., get together and get active in supporting Relay For Life activities.

The event is an overnight community celebration where individuals and teams camp out, barbecue, dance and take turns walking the track at Petrack Park to raise funds to fight cancer.

At dusk, participants will light hundreds of luminaries around the track in a moving ceremony to honor cancer survivors and friends or family members lost to the disease.

The event represents hope those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, those who face cancer will have support and that one day a cure will be found.

No is the time to start forming teams and get information to promote participation. Files, forms, ideas, schedules and progress tracking is available at www.relayforlife.org and clicking on the resources button.

The actual relay will be held later this summer.

For more information, contact Terri Rogers, the Relay For Life chairman, at 764-0006 or e-mail terirogers@hotmail.com for more information or to learn how to get involved.