"I'm sure that I'm like most everyone else," he said. "Every time I turn around, it seems like someone else has been diagnosed with cancer or has lost a battle to cancer. And it's not even age discriminative because it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who you are.
"So Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This is a way we feel [that] can raise money to do research and to find a cure. And I get asked a lot of times, 'Well, we've been raising all this money, we've raised millions of dollars, and we haven't found a cure.' Well, we haven't found a cure. However there are certain cancers that are curable. There are more cancers that are treatable and there are more means in which to treat them because of research. So that's the reason that we want to continue to do this, and of course, we can't do it without participation in the community."
The event on Sept. 10 and 11 in which team members take turns walking around Cartersville's Dellinger Park track culminates months of fundraising by participants. Last year, 1,601 individuals with 96 teams generated $279,750 for the American Cancer Society, which provides information, offers programs to patients, and funds research for cancer treatments and cures.
With 90 groups already registered, Moore believes the upcoming event is on track to recruit 120 groups and raise $300,000.
In addition to fundraisers ranging from a Pink Parade to a Cornhole Tournament, there also will be a Purple Power Week to raise awareness prior to the Relay for Life event. The local Relay organizers are encouraging business owners to participate in Purple Power Week by decorating their storefront windows with purple Relay for Life-related materials from Sept. 3 to 10. Judging will be held on Sept. 3 to select winners in two categories: Purple Power Award for best display and the Stork Award for best execution of the ACS/Relay for Life message.
Participating businesses need to submit their entry forms -- including business name, contact name, company's physical address, phone number and e-mail -- to Carla Carter by mail, 1160-B Mission Road S.W., Cartersville, GA 30120 or e-mail, carlacarter28@yahoo.com. Entries need to be received or postmarked by Aug. 25.
Whether merchants decorate their windows to the hilt or simply tie a purple ribbon around their door, Fredia Hall encourages the business community to take part in the friendly competition.
"We're just doing it to make people more aware of the Bartow Relay for Life and we hope to have a lot of people come out," said Hall, a member of Bartow County's Relay for Life marketing committee. "It's still not too late to join a team or form a team."
For more information about Relay for Life, visit www.bartowrelayforlife.org or call Moore at 770-547-0325 or ACS Northwest Senior Community Manager Gretchen Barkley at 770-429-0089.