A celebration will be held Monday, January 12, at 6 p.m. at Pleasant Grove C.M.E. Church to kick off Lincoln County's Eighth Annual American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life.

During the meeting, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the relay as well as meet a few of the committee chairmen and corporate sponsors of the event, which is set for Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25.

From 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., members of teams, consisting of from eight to 15 people each, will take turns walking around the track at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex to raise money to help with the fight against cancer.

Relay for Life likewise gives participants an opportunity to grieve as a community for those lost to cancer and to celebrate the lives of the courageous individuals who have survived the disease.

The theme for 2009 is "Seasons of Hope."

Debbie Tutt and Brenda Danner McGahee are slated to serve as the co-chairmen of the event.

The kick-off celebration will also feature the presentation of All-Star team awards for 2008, recognition of the sponsors of the relay, door prizes, refreshments, and much more.

Last April, Lincoln County teams raised $52,040.58 to fund research, education, advocacy, and service programs, sponsored by the ACS.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the kick-off rally and make plans now to take part in some way, shape, or form in the annual Relay for Life.

To RSVP for the celebration, call Brenda McGahee at 706-359-5536 or Lisa Bryant, ACS staff partner, toll free at 1-866-227-0904. Interested parties may likewise visit the event website at www.relayforlife.org/ lincolncounty.

The deadline is Friday, January 9.

Pleasant Grove C.M.E. Church is located at 2245 Augusta Highway.

The funds raised by Relay for Life events across the United States are disbursed as follows: research, 15 percent or $147 million; prevention, 18 percent or $177 million; patient support, 22 percent or $218 million; detection/treatment, 16 percent or $158 million; general management, nine percent or $91 million; and fundraising, 20 percent or $198 million.

A sampling of the normal expenses covered by donations is as follows:

.. One case of latex gloves, $60.

.. One case of 500 test tubes, $150.

.. One package of 50 sheets of Xray film, $200.

.. Eight roundtrips for one patient to obtain treatment through the "Road to Recovery" program, $312.

.. One Gel Box, which researchers use to isolate DNA and identify differences that may impact cancer diagnosis or treatment, $350.

.. A one-year college scholarship, awarded to eligible young cancer survivors to help relieve the burden on families facing costly medical bills, $1,000.

.. One new microscope, $2,000.

.. The cost of "Look Good...Feel Better" consultations for four women, $800.

.. The expenses of one patient in an ACS-funded clinical trial, $3,000.

.. One study at the Behavioral Research Center, $100,000.

.. One issue and postage for "CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians," the most widely circulated oncology journal in the world, providing cancer care professionals with the latest on cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, $88,000.

The ACS is the nationwide, community based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.