What is Relay For Life?

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s largest peer-to-peer event. The goal of Relay For Life is to honor those impacted by cancer, increase awareness for cancer, advocate for a world without cancer, and to raise money for ACS research and services. The money raised is allocated to various parts of the fight against cancer, whether it be the funding of cancer research or the provision of essential services – such as our 24/7 cancer helpline or free rides to treatment.

Relay For Life event is often an overnight, team-based event but adapts to your community’s needs. Often, participants form teams, and throughout the night, teams ensure that some member of the team is walking or running around the track. When registering for the event, you can choose to join a team, start a team, or participate as an individual. Each team during this event sets up a fundraising goal with a default minimum requirement of raising $100 per team member. To raise money, each team will set up a fundraising page. Teams can network with their friends, family, etc. to reach out and ask for donations.

You can search for a local event at relayforlife.org by inputting your zip code. Instructions on how to sign up for a Relay For Life event & more in-depth information can be found here.

Beyond the fundraising and walking or running of the path or track, Relay For Life has a beautiful luminaria ceremony at sundown. A luminaria is essentially a lantern consisting of a candle inside a paper bag that is decorated to donor someone touched by cancer. During this ceremony, luminaria bags light the track or path with each bag honoring someone touched by cancer. It is an amazing moment symbolizing hope, love, and healing.

Facts about Relay For Life:

• Relay For Life events have been running since 1985

• In 2018, there were over 2.5 million participants in Relay For Life

• In 2019, there were over 3,500 Relay For Life events

• Relay For Life events raised over $5 million in 2021 alone

• All money raised goes to education, service, research, and advocacy through the ACS

  • Education– Funds informational and educational resources such as the American Cancer Society website which provides comprehensive cancer information

  • Service– Funds integral programs such as a 24 hour, toll-free information service

  • Research– Funds groundbreaking research including over 938 research grants and the work of 42 Nobel Prize Laureates

  • Advocacy– Funds ACS advocacy efforts which have been very successful in the fight against cancer including getting 25 states to go smoke free

  • To learn more about how ACS uses the funds raised, go here.

• Relay For Life is now in 29 countries around the globe (including the U.S.)! Click here to find out more about Relay For Life across the globe!

How can you get involved in Relay For Life?

There are many ways in which you can get involved in Relay For Life and its accompanying events. One way to get involved is to become a team captain and put together your team and organize your fundraising goals.

You can also get involved in Relay For Life through volunteering to take on essential roles. One role you can volunteer as is a Relay For Life Event Lead where you will coach and guide the Event Leadership Team to ensure all responsibilities are fulfilled and goals are achieved. You can also volunteer as a Relay For Life Committee Member where you participate on a team to plan and implement the Relay For Life events in your community. To learn about these roles, volunteer as these roles, or to learn more about one of the other roles that you can be to help the Relay For Life movement succeed, go here.

Another way to get involved is by donating to a Relay For Life team. This donation will help the team reach their goal and will be very useful in the fight against cancer. All funds are allocated to funding services, education, advocacy, and research. To donate, go here and find your the team or participant you wish to donate to. You alternatively can go to your local event’s webpage and click ‘Donate’.

If you want to get involved in Relay For Life, but the aforementioned roles are not of interest to you, other opportunities can be found here.