This year, Relay For Life is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its founding. It began in May 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington, to raise $27,000 for the American Cancer Society.
In 1986, the number of participants exceeded 300. Now, more than 4 million people in more than 20 countries annually are involved in Relay For Life.
In Aiken, Relay For Life has been around for more than 20 years, according to Lisa Glass, who is Relay For Life's community manager for the South Atlantic Division.
Relay For Life of Aiken generated $137,000 in 2014, and the goal for 2015 is $150,000. This year's event will be held from 7 p.m. May 15 to 1 a.m. May 16 in South Aiken High School's football stadium.
"The greatest thing is seeing the sea of purple shirts go around the track during the Survivors Lap," Glass said. "Every year, we have more and more survivors, and that is the greatest joy."
More than 40 teams are registered for the 2015 edition of Aiken's Relay For Life, and Glass hopes more will be signing up.
"People from all different age groups and all walks of life come together," Glass said. "You see every kind of person there. Some are young, and some are old. Some are healthy, and some are going through treatments for cancer. Everybody is working for a common cause, and the energy is amazing."
In 2015, the nighttime Relay For Life gathering will be shorter than usual. Traditionally, the event has lasted for 12 hours, starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 7 a.m.
"From the response to surveys and feedback from our Relay participants and the community in general, we found out that people wanted to reduce the length of time," Glass said. "The majority of the teams weren't staying overnight anymore. There are so many activities that families want to pack into a weekend."
Much about Relay For Life, however, will remain the same. The Survivors Lap will return and so will the Luminaria Ceremony. The fire truck pull and the Midnight Madness 5K Fun Run and Walk, which were new in 2014, also will be back.
"We would love for the community at large to attend, and just like last year, folks will come in through the stadium's main entrance and show their IDs," Glass said. "For minor children with a their parents, their parents' IDs will be sufficient. We'll have an army of volunteers to register people, and everyone will be issued a bracelet. We'll have tons and tons of food, and there will be lots of activities like line dancing and Zumba for everybody to participate in."
For more information, call Glass at 803-979-3685 or visit
www.relayforlife.org/aikensc. Information also can be found on Relay For Life of Aiken's Facebook page.
DeDe Biles is a general assignment reporter.