The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Chilton County will launch its fundraising efforts for 2012 at a kickoff event Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. at Peach Park in Clanton.

Speakers from the community will share how they have benefitted from funds raised through Relay, and cancer survivors will be honored.

“We are inviting all cancer survivors to attend the kickoff meeting,” said Relay communications chair Kristi Langston. “We will have a special recognition to honor them during the meeting.”

Jan. 12 will also be the first opportunity to register a team and select a campsite for the overnight event to be held on April 27 at 6 p.m. at the Little League football field.

According to the American Cancer Society, Relay For Life is the world’s largest grassroots fundraising movement, mobilizing communities in the United States to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and provide participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease.

Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools and faith-based groups – people from all walks of life – who aim to further the American Cancer Society’s vision of creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Relay For Life began in 1985 with one man who walked and ran around a track for 24 hours and raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society.

This year, Relay will take place in nearly 5,100 communities in the U.S. and 20 other countries and will raise funds to support the Society’s mission of saving lives by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.

To join a Relay For Life in Chilton County, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.relayforlife.org/chilton.