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MURFREESBORO – For the first time since 2019, Relay for Life of Hertford-Gates will be held at its original home.

The event, which got its start in 2000 at Squirrel Park on the campus of Chowan University, is returning there as the 2024 Relay is set for this Friday, Sept. 6.

Relay for Life of Hertford-Gates was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 there was a “drive-thru” luminary ceremony held at the Ahoskie Creek Amphitheater, which also hosted brief ceremonies in honor of Relay in 2022 and 2023.

This year’s event will be held from 6-10 p.m. It begins with an opening ceremony followed by the traditional Survivors Lap and Caregivers Lap. The Kids Walk begins at 7:30 p.m. The Luminaria ceremony starts at 9 p.m.

The fundraising goal this year is $160,000. As of one week prior to the event, $121,022.29 has been raised.

Nineteen teams are pre-registered for Friday’s Relay. Twelve of those teams will be offering food and/or drinks for sale as well as conducting activities. There will also be food trucks at the event.

“We are really excited to be back where we started back in the 2000 – 2001, the first Relay for Life of Hertford-Gates,” said Patty Hale, one of the lead organizers for this year’s event.

William Riddick serves as the event’s lead official.

“Being an event lead is honor. It means that the American Cancer Society along with the participants of Hertford/Gates Relay have trust that I will lead our community with integrity and grace,” Riddick stated. “Months of hard work will be on display on the night of September 6th. And being able to lead the charge is not something that I take lightly.”

Barbara Holloman, a member of the family team, Angels Among Us, said, “We as a family are very devoted to Relay for Life, from the very first year ‘til now.”

Winnie Matthews, this year’s Survivor Committee Co-Chair, shared what Relay meant to her.

“Hope….lots of hope that one day with support of organizations like the American Cancer Society and events like Relay for Life Hertford-Gates Relay we will eliminate cancer,” she stressed. “In my 30 years of supporting first Bertie Relay for Life then Hertford-Gates Relay for Life, I have seen too many friends and family being affected by cancer.

“My best friend fought hard for 14 years with Lymphoma, working with the Perdue team to help make it aware there is hope through Relay and ACS,” Matthews continued. “I saw her while taking chemo under an army tent in the pouring rain but when it came her time to walk she put on the rain gear and walked that track. Her drive and determination has been an inspiration to a lot of people.”

Matthews said her favorite part of the Relay event is when the survivors hit the track for their walk.

“The pride and determination you see in them and the hopefulness is awesome. It lets you know you are doing the right thing in supporting Relay. I am proud to be a Relay for Life supporter,” Matthews said.

During a recent Survivor event, a few of the attendees were asked what Relay meant to them. One said it means “surviving cancer.” Another said “it means a lot because it is really helpful for all people with cancer or who had cancer. It is a lot of fun and help for each other.” One person at the Survivor event said Relay was special because, “it lets me know that they care.”

Those comments really sum up what Relay for Life events are about, they are about a community coming together to support and celebrate survivors, remembering those who have lost their battle, and raising funds to help fight back to find a cure and provide services to cancer patients and their families.

“At Relay For Life, no donation is too small, each and every dollar counts,” said Rochelle Harrell, one of the event’s organizers. “Your donations help fund groundbreaking cancer research, patient care programs, and can make a difference in communities like ours. With every donation, you are helping the American Cancer Society save lives.”

Harrell noted that some of the money raised during Relay for Life events comes back to North Carolina universities.

“How exciting is it to know some of that money you have donated is being used to fund research grant programs right here in our home state,” Harrell noted.

“Do you know anyone who has been able to benefit from one of these programs,” Harrell asked. “The money you donate helps your family member, your neighbor, and your community. We look forward to seeing you on Friday at Chowan University. Together, as a community, we celebrate our survivors, we remember our loved ones we lost, and we fight back against cancer.”

If you would like to register as a survivor, register as a participant, volunteer, purchase a luminary or make a donation, please visit www.relayforlife.org/hertfordgatesnc.

Local children can also become involved in the fundraising effort as the Hertford-Gates Relay for Life also features a Kid’s Walk. That event is sponsored locally by Ahoskie Health & Rehab.

Kids are encouraged to raise money by asking family members and friends for a donation. Their donations will help the American Cancer Society fight cancer so that research can continue to find ways to eradicate this disease.

Hertford-Gates Relay for Life officials are looking for kids up to middle school age to participate in this year’s Kid’s Walk. The walk will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 on the campus of Chowan University.

To register for the Kid’s Walk, go to www.relayforlife.org/hertfordgatesnc and sign up under the 2024 Kid’s Walk Ahoskie Health & Rehab – Characters For A Cure team. Each child needs to complete a registration form with their parents’ permission to participate.

Kid’s Walk activities will include games, decorating “Cards of Love”, and a dance party with characters representing the Ahoskie Health & Rehab team.