Denison, Texas  – January 13, 2014 – The American Cancer Society Relay For Life® is getting underway.  The kick-off event will be held on January 22, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the lobby of Texoma Medical Center.  Join us at this free event!

The ACS’s 100th birthday year is an excellent time to get involved in Relay For life as a volunteer, team captain, or participant, and make a difference this century in the fight against cancer.  As the world’s largest grassroots fundraising program, Relay For Life mobilizes friends, families, hospitals, schools, service organizations, and faith-based groups in communities throughout the country, to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and provide everyone an opportunity to fight back against the disease.

Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening. Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their camp sites during Relay. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups . . . people from all walks of life – all aimed at celebrating the lives of those who have had cancer, remembering those lost, and fighting back against the disease.

"Relay For Life is all about our community uniting with the American Cancer Society and supporting its efforts to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays," said Mary Linder, 2013 Event Chairperson. "Volunteers and participants who are willing to give their time and energy to this exciting event are making a commitment to let Grayson County know that cancer can be defeated.”

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community.

We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight.

As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

If you would like to join the Relay For Life in Grayson County as a volunteer or team participant, call Mary Linder at 903-624-4748, or visit www.RelayForLife.org.