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Tighten those shoelaces; it's Relay time again! The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of San Saba County will be held on April 16 and 17, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. at Risien Park. This "celebration of life and hope" brings the community together in a unified effort to fight cancer and symbolizes the battle cancer patients face after they are diagnosed with the disease. This year's theme is "United We Stand for a Cure", bringing together the communities of Cherokee, Richland Springs, and San Saba.

Before we start walking at Relay for Life on April 16th, we have a special individual who will run for a cure on March 28th. His name is Peter Hald. He is a kind and modest man who wanted to be sure that when this was released to the public, it was about our community coming together to fight for a cure for cancer. He is a survivor of cancer but did not want this effort to be about him. You may have seen Mr. Hald running in our community, along Highway 16 or maybe at the gym as he has always been an avid runner. He has taken his passion for fitness and running and used it to raise monies for this great cause. The run will begin at the caution light in Cherokee at 2:00 p.m. A fund-raising meal will be served at noon in Cherokee to kick off this event.

Mr. Hald should complete his run and arrive in San Saba around 4:00 p.m. at the Public Parking Lot (formerly the used car lot for Golding Motors) where we hope the community will be in full force to welcome him. There will be a birthday celebration to honor all cancer survivors immediately following at the Church of Christ Fellowship Hall. Hamburger baskets and desserts will be on sale with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. If you have any questions or are interested in participating in this event, please contact Danny Duggan at chced@centex.net or Michele Whitley at 325-372-7588.

Relay For Life is a fun-filled, overnight event that mobilizes communities to celebrate survivors and remember loved ones. Teams of eight to 15 members gather to participate and raise funds for the American Cancer Society's programs and services. Participants come to celebrate the lives of those who have battled and won, remember those lost to cancer, and empower others to fight back against a disease that takes too much from all of us. We need to stand up and fight back against cancer. We also need more teams to join our community fight, so form a team, get signed up or join one of the teams already in action.

"Cancer does not stop at nighttime, so we're not going to stop at nighttime either," said Jon Hartford from the American Cancer Society. "We hope the community will join us in this fight." To volunteer or register your team for this event, please visit: http://www.relayforlife.org/sansabacotx. You can also contact one of the local committee members for more information. This year's event planning committee is spearheaded by three dedicated and dynamic women who are working together as chairpersons: Clarise Kehoe; Donna Blossman and Michele Whitley.

For more information on cancer, call the American Cancer Society's 24-hour help line at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. To learn more about Relay For Life, visit RelayForLife.org.