CHICKASAW COUNTY – The annual Relay for Life event to raise funds to fight cancer has been successful for many years in Chickasaw County and organizers are working out new strategies to keep it that way.

An organizational meeting for the 2010 campaign has been set for Sept. 3 in the Houston Courthouse and all interested persons are encouraged to attend.

“We wanted to get started earlier this year so we’d have more time,” said 2009 co-chair, Jean Dendy. “Any team captains, team members, committee members and anyone who is interested in participating in any way are invited.”

Committee members are planning a kickoff in Oct. of this year so that teams will have more time to plan and hold fundraisers and recruit members before the 2010 event.

“We did not want to wait to start until January,” said co-chair Sarah Flake. “That gives us such a short time to get ready and form teams. We thought it would be better if we spread it out over the year and incorporate more events over a longer period of time.”

Traditionally, teams have formed after the new year and hold various fundraising events up to the Relay for Life that spring or summer. Committee members felt that spreading events out over a longer period of time would benefit the teams and the sponsors and donors as well.

“With such a short time to fundraiser, we end up with four or five teams having something on the same night,” Dendy said. “We can’t support each other that way and people are split about where they can go.”

Plans will also be discussed about the format of the Relay for Life format. Organizers are working to encourage younger participants and teams and are looking for ways to accomplish that goal.

“We need to get and hold the younger people,” Flake said. “We’re looking at the possibility of having a band later in the evening or dancing. We’re also looking at the way the teams participate. We may go back to a team parade. We just need to talk about it and see what everyone wants to do.

Flake and Dendy encourage all interested persons to attend the organizational meeting Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m.