MOUNT VERNON — The 2012 Relay for Life of Knox County opened Friday night at Mount Vernon High School with the Survivor’s Lap. The lap, which celebrates with cancer survivors circling the track, began an inspiring evening of loss, hope and celebration. The overnight relay event, which raises funds that help the American Cancer Society save lives, ends today at 11 a.m.
Prior to the opening ceremonies, Route 13 Stop catered dinner for over 100 survivors and their families. Then Boy Scout Troop 332 opened the event by raising the flag. Event disk jockey Ben Peverly sang the National Anthem, and Betty Stockdale Wolverton was featured as Honorary Chair of the event as an inspiration for 44 years as a survivor.
New to the life-saving effort this year is the American Cancer Society’s third Cancer Prevention Study (CPS-3). According to Andrea Perlman of the American Cancer Society, seven relay sites in Ohio were chosen for the study and only two in the greater Columbus area. The American Cancer Society hoped to enroll 160 study participants at the relay with an ultimate goal to enroll 300,000 adults nationwide.
“It’s a great honor,” Perlman said, “Knox County was chosen based on the community and how much participation the relay receives here.” If people in the community would like to participate in the study, it’s not too late. For more information, visit www.cancer.org/cps3 or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.
