Relay for Life kickoff scheduled for Jan. 22
By SCOTT BAUGHMAN Ledger Staff Writer scottb@gaffneyledger.com

A longstanding Cherokee County tradition is ready to go again as the 2007 Cherokee County Relay for Life kickoff will be hosted by Holly Grove Catering in Blacksburg.

Activities are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 22.

"Team materials will be distributed at this event," said Brenda Harlow, county chairman of the event. "Captains of existing Relay for Life teams are encouraged to attend or to send a team member to this important session. Persons who are interested in forming new Relay for Life teams are also invited to attend."

Gaffney enjoys a special place in Relay for Life history, with one of only three dedicated facilities for the event nationwide. The Timken Track on Hwy. 29 was dedicated for the annual American Cancer Society fund raiser in 2004, first being used for the 2005 relay.

In May 1985, Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon and avid runner, took the first step of his 24-hour walk/run around a track in Tacoma, Wash.

He clocked 83 miles, raising $27,000 to support the American Cancer Society. The following year, 220 supporters on 19 teams joined Dr. Klatt in the overnight event and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life was born.

For more than 20 years, Relay For Life has spread to 4,200 communities in the United States and eight foreign countries.

What began as one man's statement in the fight against cancer has led to the development of a worldwide event to help banish cancer.

For reservations or additional information, interested persons should contact Brenda Harlow at 487-2662; Jackie Drake at 489-9220; or Sheila Smoke at 490-4842. The next Cherokee County Relay is scheduled for Friday, May 11, 2007, at the Timken Track.