The annual Relay for Life of Bulloch County/Georgia Southern University to help raise funds in the battle against cancer is set for Friday, April 21. The 2023 Relay will be held in downtown Statesboro on Main Street.
For years, the Relay for Life American Cancer Society fundraiser was held at Bulloch Academy and then the Kiwanis fairgrounds, with GSU holding its own event. Combining the efforts and connecting it to the downtown Statesboro area was started in 2019.
On April 21, individuals and teams will be set up around the “track” in Statesboro. The walk will begin at 5 p.m. and each team will have at least one participant on the track at all times, which symbolizing the battle waged around the clock by those facing cancer.
Relay for Life fundraisers take place year-round across the world, but in Bulloch County, the main celebration has always been in the spring.
People join teams — formed by businesses or other groups — and start seeking donations beforehand, building up to the actual Relay event.
To join us at this year’s Relay for Life of Bulloch County/Georgia Southern University. To sign up your team or simply to donate, visit RelayForLife.org/StatesboroGa
All the money raised goes toward efforts to find a cancer cure and raise awareness of the disease. Teams and individual participants raise money any way they can, such as paying a fee to wear jeans at work, holding bake sales, organizing raffles and just asking for donations.
According to a release, the American Cancer Society is the only organization fighting cancer on every front.
“Funds raised from all Relay for Life events allow the Society to attack cancer in dozens of ways, each of them critical to achieving a world without cancer – from developing breakthrough therapies and innovative research, to building supportive communities that come together to help those affected by cancer with access to treatment,” the release states.
The American Cancer Society recently awarded $100,000 in transportation grants to many health systems throughout Georgia. The funds will be used to address transportation needs of patients, particularly vulnerable populations experiencing cancer in communities around the state.