Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of your American Cancer Society. Anson County Relay for Life will be held on May 2&3, 2007. Everyone in today’s society has been affected by cancer in some way. Sometimes cancer even reaches those we find most precious…our children! It is so hard to be a kid today even without adding something as horrible as cancer. Making it even harder is going through treatments and dealing with the loss of your hair. However, the nonprofit organization Locks of Love is making great strives at giving children battling cancer a normal childhood.

Locks of Love collects hair that people donate in order to make hair pieces for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments and other long term medical hair loss. Anyone can donate their hair the only guidelines are

Hair should be a minimum of 10 inches to be used as a hair piece or a minimum of 5 inches to be sold at market and the money earned will go to Locks of Love.
Hair should be clean and dry.
Hair CAN BE colored or permed but not chemically damaged.

We are urging people to commit now to giving their hair to Locks of Love in May. A booth will be set up at Relay For Life on Friday, May 2nd from 7pm to 9pm, and a stylist will be onsite cutting hair for this worthwhile cause. For more information about Anson County’s Relay For Life, please call 704-465-9009 or go to www.ansonrelay.org <http://www.ansonrelay.org/>; .

Anson County is gearing up for the 2008 American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. This year’s event will take place on May 2 & 3, 2008 at Anson High School . In preparation for the event, the public is invited to attend a KICKOFF CELEBRATION LUNCHEON, on Wednesday January 9, 2007 from 12pm to 1pm at the First Baptist Church on Lee Ave in Uptown Wadesboro. The guest speaker will be an Anson County cancer survivor.

The luncheon is free and anyone interested in participating in the 2008 Relay For Life is invited to attend. Kickoff is designed to be a time to get geared up for the upcoming relay season, as well as a time to find out more about this fun and worthwhile event developed to help raise funds to enable the fight against cancer to continue. Teams may sign up for the 2008 Relay season at kickoff. Teams will also receive their information packets at the luncheon.

Anson County’s 2008 Relay For Life chairperson is Crystal McLendon . She works at South Piedmont Community College . Crystal and her committee have already been very active in the community. Relay For Life had a float in both the Homecoming Parade and the Wadesboro Chris tmas Parade.

Please mark your calendars for this date, as the first of the year is quickly approaching. To find out more about the kickoff luncheon or to learn how you can get involved in this year’s Relay For Life, please call 704-465-9009 or email ansoncountyrelay@yahoo.com.

Despite the messy weather, Anson County Relay For Life was a huge success. The grand total of all money raised was $100,026, which far surpassed the original county goal of $75,000. Out of the 61 registered Relay teams in the county, 49 set up a campsite and 7 braved the weather and stayed all night.

The “Best Decorated Campsite” Award went to Hopewell United Methodist Church. This team’s them was “Knocking Out Cancer”, and they dressed up their campsite with a mini boxing ring.

The “Most Spirited Team” Award went to Lilesville Elementary School. Despite the recent death of their team captain Karen Currie, this team carried on Karen’s dedication to the cause and ended up raising more money than any other school in the county.

The top fundraising team was CMH. Their team captain Nichole Cox led this team to raise over $12,000. Due to the rain, the luminary ceremony was unable to be held at Relay. The Relay Committee plans to hold the luminary ceremony on Friday, June 1st from 9pm to 10pm in Uptown Wadesboro. The Relay Committee would just like to thank everyone who helped to make this event a huge success.

To date, we have raised $80,000! Because of you, we are closer to finding a cure for cancer!

Opening Welcome & Introductions ~ Misty Harris
6:00 Anson High School JROTC to Present Colors
National Anthem ~ Deborah Carroll
Invocation
6:15 Lighting of the Torch
Survivor's Lap ~ Jilla Gathings
6:25 Poem ~ Paula Tice
6:30 Parade of Teams ~ Ericka Chaney
7:00 Saddle Creek (Country Band)
8:00 Presentation of Awards ~ "Spirit of Relay"
Luminaries will no longer be sold
8:05 Morven Church of God of Prophecy Praise Dancers
8:30 Caroline Keller (Christian Music)
8:55 Make announcement - Lights out in five minutes
9:00 Locks of Love' Raffle Winner Announced
Luminaries ~ lights out
Lighting of the Flame of Hope ~ Sandra Pliescott
Everyone walks a silent lap in Honor/Memory
9:15 Memory Lap for Karen Currie ~ Lilesville Elem. Team Captain
Principal of Lillesville Elementary ~ Marty Godwin to speak
9:30 New Arrivals (Gospel Music)
10:00 Caroline Keller (Christian Music)
10:30 Matthew Gibson (R&B Music)
11:00 Saddle Creek (Country Music)
12:00 Team Fundraising Money to be turned in
12:30 Setup for Flat Out Bluegrass
1:00 Flat Out Bluegrass (Bluegrass Music)
2:00 Music Provided by Pure Sound Entertainment
3:00 Music Provided by Pure Sound Entertainment
4:00 Music Provided by Pure Sound Entertainment
5:00 Final Lap
5:15 Money totals to be announced
5:30 Breakfast will be served
5:45 Closing prayer
6:00 Tear Down & Clean up

Please stress to your team members that the parking lot on the Hwy 74 side (across from Walmart) is just for survivors (they have a parking pass to park in there). Your team may drive through and unload at the gate, but unless you are a survivor with a parking pass, you must park in the student parking lot on the Anson Jr. High Rd side.

All teams can come on Friday to the field from 12pm until 5pm to set up their tents. All tents must be up by 5pm. If you need to leave your tent and other stuff at your campsite on Friday, it will be safe. There will be committee members at the school from 12pm on.

Suggestions For Things To Bring To Relay
Sweater or light jacket
Raingear/umbrella (just in case)
Snacks and Drinks (however food and drinks will be sold there)
Lawn Chair/Blankets
Sleeping Bag and tent if you are spending the night
Insect repellent
Sunscreen and Sunglasses or Hat
Board games and/or cards
If small children, please bring things for them to play with (coloring books, toys, ect)
Wet wipes (to wipe your hands or face off)
Extra toilet paper (just in case)

Remember
No smoking
No gum on track
No in-line skates or skateboards
No alcoholic beverages
No pets allowed

And don’t forget there will not be a power outlet for your team to use on the field so don’t bring anything that requires power.

Relay For Life is just weeks away and that means that all of you who have been patiently waiting to cut your hair off for Locks of Love will finally get your chance! Relay starts at 6:00pm on Friday, May 4, 2007. Connie Beam from Expressions Salon will be there from 6:00pm until 8:30pm to cut hair for Locks of Love. At 9:00pm the night of Relay, Expressions Salon will be giving out a bag full of professional hair care products for the person who gave the most hair. Everyone who donates their hair will also have there name put in a raffle for other prizes. As a reminder, below are the guidelines that your hair must meet in order to donate:
Hair needs to be clean and dry.
Hair may be colored or permed, but not chemically damaged.
Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
Hair should be a minimum of 10 inches to be used as a hair piece or a minimum of 5 inches to be sold at market and the money earned will go to Locks of Love.

If your hair doesn’t follow these guidelines, we will not be able to take it. Also, many have expressed that they would like to go ahead and cut their hair off prior to Relay. Locks of Love donors may go to any salon of their choice prior to Relay and have their hair cut off, but they must bring the hair to the Locks of Love tent the night of Relay between 6:00pm and 8:30pm to be eligible for the prizes. The night of Relay, Expressions Salon will be pulling hair back in a low pony tail and cutting it off only. The licensed beautician onsite will not be able to fix hair and style it that night. However, Expressions Salon will be making appointments for Saturday morning to style Locks of Love donor’s hair. That includes a dry cut and style. A discounted price will be given for this cut and style and it is based on how much hair is given the night before. When hair is donated at Relay, as special button will be given out stating that you donated your hair to Locks of Love. For more information about donating your hair at Relay, please call Connie Beam at 704-694-2926. For more information on Locks of Love, please go to www.locksoflove.org

Is Anson County being invaded by flamingos?

No, it just a Relay For Life fundraiser that will be going on from now until the first of May. CMH's Relay For Life Team has decorated a tacky flamingo and will be placing it in businesses and residents yards that live OUTSIDE the city limits of Wadesboro. Once you have been "attacked" by the tacky flamingo, you must make a donation to CMH's Relay For Life team to have this bird removed. If you would like to request the flamingo be put in someone's yard, please call Matt Morgan at CMH at 704-694-6213 ext 2430.

A prayer shawl will be raffled off in April as a fundraiser for CMH's Relay For Life Team. Raffle tickets are $5, and are on sell now at CMH, Lacy's and Fancy Crafts. A picture of the shawl is also on display at the places listed above. This prayer shawl was hand crafted by Anson County native Mararuth Cox with lots of faith, love and hope. This shawl has been blessed with four beautiful prayers. While knitting this shawl, Ms. Cox recited these prayers, including one from Psalm 139:13-14 "You created every part of me, knitting me in my Mother's womb. For such handiwork, I praise you. Awesome this great wonder!". The drawing for this lovely shawl will be held on Monday, April 23rd. All of the proceeds from this fundraiser will help in finding a cure for cancer. If anybody would like to purchase a prayer shawl or if you have any questions about the raffle, please contact Nichole Cox 704-694-6213 ext 2267.

Nineteen Ansonians are helping preserve an American tradition.

Each year, a group of local quilters carefully crafts an enormous quilt from scratch, according to Cynthia Little of Wadesboro, and the quilt is later the prize of a drawing benefiting the cancer research efforts of Anson County Relay for Life.
The group meets at First United Methodist Church in Wadesboro, said Little, and in less than a week, a beautiful new quilt is created.
Thursday morning, Little said she began quilting when she was 4 years old, learning from her late grandmother, Bessie Springer of Cedar Hill.
“Nowadays I quilt alongside my mother, Lina Hildreth,” she said.