NORWICH – Relay For Life of Chenango County will hold its annual kick-off event from 5:30 to 7 tonight – with an informational meeting scheduled for 6 to 6:30 – in the Morrisville State College Norwich Campus Community room, 20 Conkey Ave.

All are welcome to attend, including potential team captains or members, survivors or sponsors, as the local Relay committee welcomes back its veteran teams and celebrates any new teams that will join in the fight against cancer this year.

Said Relay For Life of Chenango County event chair Marie DeSarro, “This is our way of kicking-off the 2013 Relay For Life season,” which brings hundreds of cancer survivors, their families and friends together year after year. This year, added DeSarro, will mark the 17th annual Relay For Life, which will take place July 19 and 20 at the Chenango County Fairgrounds.

Locally, Relay For Life has continued to grow and to succeed, according to DeSarro, due primarily to the fact that more and more people are touched by cancer in some way, shape or form. And living in a small community such as Chenango County, said DeSarro, makes it that much more likely that one’s life will be impacted by the awful disease.