Community Corner

New Name, Same Great Relay

The 2012 Twinsburg-Nordonia Relay for Life is only a few weeks away

Since its inception 12 years ago, the community's Relay for Life has gone through a few name changes, but its mission has never wavered: Fighting cancer.

On June 1 and 2 the now Twinsburg-Nordonia Relay for Life will celebrate its 2012 campaign at the track behind . Festivities begin with the opening ceremony at 6 p.m.

The name has endured a few tweaks over the years starting as the "Twinsburg Relay" to "Twinsburg-Macedonia," and finally to its current namesake. Chairperson Rob Felber said the change was made to include other communities that form the Nordonia Hills City Schools.

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"The point was to really bring those communities into the fold," Felber said.

Relay For Life is the signature fundraiser of the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS has invested over $3 billion in cancer research since 1946.

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More than 1,000 people fill Twinsburg Tiger Stadium each year to celebrate the year-round fundraising efforts, promoting cancer research. Sometimes fundraising like this can be difficult, especially in a tough economy, but this year Felber said they already have 30 teams and are above last year's pace.

But joining a fundraising group isn't a requirement to enjoy the event.

"We really encourage people to come check it out even if they're not on a team," Felber said.

Felber himself raised more than $800 in a 24-hour period with a quick email campaign.

"Everybody's got a cause, but people will still support Relay," he said.

Felber said this is his last year as chairperson for the event. While he will still serve on the committee, other individuals like Beth Noga, Jennie Dawes and Ward 5 Councilman Seth Rodin will take the reigns in the coming years.

"It's healthy for the event and healthy to have new ideas," Felber said about moving forward.

Bringing home the gold

Many Relay events around the country have special themes that teams will rally around, sometimes dressing up or creating events to celebrate.

The Twinsburg-Nordonia Relay hasn't had a theme in several years, but they decided to label this year "Champions For a Cure" in honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

"It seemed appropriate to have it in lieu of this summer," Felber said.

The top fundraisers aren't gold medalists though. The top fundraising prize is the platinum award for those who've raised $10,000 or more. Gold prize is $5,000 and above and silver is $2,500 and up.

For more information on this year's event, visit www.relayforlife.org/Twinsburg.


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