Nearly 50 volunteers gathered recently at the YMCA to make plans for the annual American Cancer Society’s &uot;Relay For Life&uot; campaign, and to learn ways to attract teammates.

The theme for this year’s event was announced by Butler County Chapter President Joan Reynolds as &uot;Partying for a purpose&uot;, which will be used when teams decorate their campsites at the Relay event; suggestions for ideas of decorations were handed out to all in attendance.

The event, which is scheduled for May 11-12 at the Butler County Fairgrounds, will have several activities.

There will be a &uot;Luminaria Ceremony&uot;, in which luminarias (candles) will be lit in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one.

Names will appear on the luminarias and will be announced during the luminaria walk, a one-lap walk starting at 9 p.m.

Said to be a heart-warming tribute to honor and remember loved ones in the fight against cancer, Luminarias can be purchased for a minimum donation of $5.

Forms can be obtained by contacting Ethelyn Watson at 382-2517.

An incentive that in the past has been popular in previous events will again be available.

&uot;We will again offer ‘Relay Bucks’ to participants and teams as incentives for several accomplishments,&uot; said Angela James, who along with Lucy McGowin chairs the teams and captains. &uot;For instance, there will be credit for $500 relay bucks for attendance at the Team Captains meeting, and those teams that turn in their roster by March 1 will receive $2,000 relay bucks.

&uot;These are just a few examples-the team that raises the most relay bucks will receive the much coveted and prestigious ‘Spirit of Relay’ award,&uot; she said.

Materials were handed out to all participants, and each team captain received a special package of additional materials to help them organize their efforts.

On hand to speak to the group was Charlene Ghoulsby, coordinator of the Coffee County chapter event.

&uot;This is definitely a community event,&uot; said Ghoulsby. &uot;Raising money and struggling for a cure to fight cancer is very important.&uot;

Ghoulsby circulated pictures of Coffee County’s event last year, to show those in attendance that there were a variety of ways a team could raise money.

&uot;Some of our teams held raffles, tug-of-war competitions, sold cookbooks, had penny jars at various places, and a big favorite was the team talent competitions,&uot; she said.

Reynolds also thanked Kristy Brown and International Paper Co. for becoming a corporate sponsor, and also Pioneer Electric Cooperative for once again being a sponsor.

For more information, those interested may call Joan Reynolds at 382-2696.