By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The annual Ellis County Relay for Life has changed little the past 19 years.

It’s always been the first week of June, and usually held at Hays Middle School.

Now in its 20th year, the local fundraiser for the American Cancer Society will be Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Hays Mall south parking lot from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m.

One important tradition has not changed, according to RLF co-chairman Lonny Claycamp.

“The first lap is walked by cancer survivors and their attendants,” he said.

Claycamp has been involved for “10 or 12 years” in Relay, and then in 2008, he was diagnosed with myeloma — bone marrow cancer.

“Cancer affects so many people.It doesn’t discriminate,” said Claycamp. “It’s not a pleasant experience. I’d love to help the American Cancer Society researchers find the cure and get cancer out of people’s lives:”

Claycamp said this year’s Relay for Life will have a “carnival atmosphere,” with games, face painting, music and more.

“We’ll have our own ‘walking track’ set up in the parking lot using big orange traffic cones from APAC,” he explained, noting there are 15 teams signed up. “More teams are welcome, whether it’s two people or 10 people.”

One of the most popular ways of contributing to RLF is luminaries. A $10 donation is made in honor of someone who has died of cancer or someone who is battling the disease. The luminaries, in personalized paper sacks, line the track course and are lit at dusk.

“Such a bright and hopeful light,” Claycamp described the sight of the 2,000 or more luminaries donated each year.

This year’s RFL goal is $70,000, which Ellis County has reached the past two years.

Claycamp said the fundraising dollars are doing their job.

“Thanks to research by the American Cancer Society, many cancers are very treatable today, even curable,” he said.

More information about the Ellis County Relay for Life is available on their website on their Facebook page or by calling Claycamp at (785) 635-0772.