Even though the next Relay For Life event isn’t until May, the Franklin County Relay For Life Committee has already been hard at work preparing for the upcoming year of fundraising for the American Cancer Society.

Belinda Johnson, chairwoman of the Relay Committee, said they are currently looking for new teams to participate in this year’s Relay For Life that will be held May 3, 2013, at Russellville High School’s Tiger Stadium.

“Every year at the event it seems like we have people who tell us they would have loved to have been part of a team but didn’t really know how to get involved,” Johnson said.

“We don’t want there to be one person in Franklin County who wants to participate in the Relay For Life who isn’t given an opportunity to do so.”

Johnson said being part of a team is a simple process that can be taken care of in a couple of different ways.

For individuals who want to join an existing team, only a simple phone call has to be made.

“We can get you in touch with Megan Lovelace, who works with the American Cancer Society at their Florence office, and she can get you in touch with any number of teams that are already established,” Johnson said.

“Any team is always excited and willing to have new members to help them throughout the year and there are plenty of teams where members of the community would fit in great.”

Johnson said those who aren’t already involved in the Relay For Life can also form their own team.

“We are always looking for new teams to join the Relay family here in Franklin County,” Johnson said.

“Teams can represent a business, a church, an organization, or they can just be a group of people who band together to form their own team.

“We have a few teams that are just comprised of people in a certain neighborhood, so the possibilities are really endless.

“The main point is, we just want people to get out and participate in this community-wide event that supports such a worthy cause.

“No matter how small your business or organization is, there is something you can do to support Relay. If you’ve thought about participating in the past but haven’t for whatever reason, don’t let another year go by without getting involved.”

To get more information about joining an existing Relay For Life team or starting a new team, contact Megan Lovelace at 256-767-0825 or Jolene Stockton at 256-332-0748.