Residents rallied to raise awareness and register to participate in the annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life of McKinney fund-raiser during the event’s registration kick-off event on Jan. 11.

Held outside of the McKinney Performing Arts Center in downtown McKinney, people listened to local band 121 North and to the Collin College acapella group One Sound during the three hour registration kick-off event. Melissa Rich of Texas Oncology-McKinney, the 2014 Relay For Life of McKinney title sponsor, and McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller urged people shopping and dining in downtown to register a team to walk at the event and to donate money. This year’s kick-off was a successful collaboration between the 2014 ACS Relay For Life of McKinney Committee and the McKinney Main Street Office.

The actual 2014 Relay For Life of McKinney event will be held Fri., April 25 at the Ballfields at Craig Ranch, 6151 Alma Road in McKinney, and will start at 6 p.m.

“This kick-off event was a great success. The McKinney community has been very involved in Relay For Life for many years, and we are so pleased to be partnering with Texas Oncology-McKinney for this year’s Relay For Life event. We hope to see everyone on April 25!” said Mike Egan, Chairperson of the 2014 ACS Relay For Life of McKinney.

The 2014 Relay For Life will feature popular events that have accompanied the event for more than a decade, including the Cancer Survivor Walk; the Luminaria event, where candle lit bags are lined along the track during a moment of silence to honors those who’ve lost their battle with cancer; the Mr. Relay Walk; entertainment; games; and activities for kids. The event will also include vendor and sponsor tables with information from the various businesses and organizations that sponsor the event to help make it such as successful fund-raiser.

Events will be held from now throughout the year until April 25 to help raise funds and awareness for the ACS. One of those will be the Illuminate McKinney neighborhood event, which began last year and helped to increase awareness about Relay For Life in neighborhoods throughout McKinney. Team fund-raising events will also be ongoing throughout the year until the night of Relay For Life. Members of those teams not only hail from McKinney, but from surrounding cities including Princeton, Farmersville, Melissa, Anna, Prosper, Lowry Crossing, and Blue Ridge.

For more information about being a part of this annual, fun, family friendly fund-raiser that affects peoples’ lives so deeply with money raised at the event, please visit http://RelayForLife.org/mckinneytx, where you can register as a participant, team captain or sponsor!

Finish the Fight!