Callaway Relay prepares to kick off for 2013

"Major changes' planned for event

The 2013 Relay For Life of Callaway County may be nine months away, but the individuals who participate in the annual American Cancer Society fundraiser already are thinking of ways to make it the best one yet.

At 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, the group will officially kick off the 2013 Relay For Life at Sir Winston's in Fulton.

"We're going to have appetizers and drinks provided by Sir Winston's, we'll have a guest speaker, we're going to hand out information to team captains and we'll have packets for new participants," said Jamie Oestreich, public relations chair for Relay For Life of Callaway County. "We'll have all sorts of resources and information."

Although the relay is still months away, Oestreich said event organizers and participants "focus on relay year-round."

"If you spread it throughout the year, it keeps the American Cancer Society and the event in front of people," she said, adding that "teams are more successful if they spread (fundraising) out."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.