BAY MINETTE — Relay for Life, a 12-hour, American Cancer Society fundraiser for cancer research, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Baldwin County High School track.

Some 18 teams are participating this year. They include Baldwin County Probate, Bay Minette Elementary School, Bay Minette Intermediate School, Bay Minette Middle School, Bay Minette Police Department, Bay Minette Rotary Club, First United Methodist Church, North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, North Baldwin Infirmary and Perdido Intermediate School.

At last week’s Bay Minette City Council meeting, it as announced that he city of Bay Minette had raised $3,500 so far.

Kathy Summers, of the American Cancer Society, said she hopes the event draws more participants.

“We ask everyone from the community to come out that night to see what cancer patients go through,” she said in a recent interview. “See the fun and excitement of what Relay is all about.”

According to Summers, the event will consist of teams walking from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.

“It’s an overnight event, because cancer never sleeps,” she said of the event that carries the theme “Lights, Camera, Take Action.

Additional activities will include a celebrity-look-alike contest at midnight, bands, children’s activities, adult games, a red carpet and movies. Plus, cancer survivors can sign up for the Survivor’s Victory Lap and reception by registering at the BCHS cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. Friday, which will be followed by the victory lap at 6 p.m., then survivors will return to the cafeteria afterward for dinner and prizes.

According to Bay Minette Police Department Team participant Sgt. James Eissler, the annual event is significant.

“It brings awareness and it brings the community together,” he said during last week’s Bay Minette City Council meeting.

According to Summers, 60 percent of funds raised at Relay for Life stay within the Bay Minette area, while 40 percent goes to general-cancer research. 

Summers said that 60 percent will fund programs like North Baldwin Infirmary’s “Look Good, Feel Better” program where cancer patients meet with licensed cosmetologists for help in dealing with the effects of treatments on their hair and skin.

Funds also go to support groups, loan closets and wig purchases, Summers said.

“Relay is a community-based, community-driven event,” she said. “The American Cancer Society is volunteer drive. It’s at a grass-roots level, it’s by the community, and it gives back to the community because everybody is touched by cancer.”