Celebrate. Remember. Fight back.

Organize. Fundraise. Walk.

Planning for the 2011 Lincoln County Relay for Life has begun,with organizers and team captains holding the first meeting of thenew year Wednesday. Around 15 local teams are already formed andready to begin raising money for the American Cancer Society’scontributions to cancer research, and once again Lincoln County’swalkers will aim for the $80,000 mark.

“The goal is always at least what we did last year,” said ACSCommunity Representative Kathy Prospere. “We closed out in 2010with roughly $79,000. We were really excited about that.”

This year’s relay will take place on Friday, May 6, at ExchangeClub Park. The date clashes with the second annual Lincoln CountyCarnival, which was by all accounts a big success in 2010, butrelay organizers are going ahead with their event.

“The date is set in stone,” said Cindie Chambers, a nurse atKing’s Daughters Medical Center and one of the relay organizers.”We’re going to proceed on with our date. Let (the carnival) have agood time and we’re going to have a better time.”

Some of the fundraising is already under way. The Pink Sistersteam is selling team T-shirts for $15, and Trustmark National Bankhas a fish fry planned for April 8 at 11 a.m. in downtownBrookhaven. KDMC has a list of fundraisers in the works, includinga chicken-on-a-stick sale on Jan. 28 and the Silent Sweets bakedgoods auction on April 21. The hospital is also planning aValentine’s Day candy sale in February and a carnival for kids inMarch.

This year the teams are sponsoring a friendly competition. Teamsand businesses raising money for the cure will be issued signs thatdisplay the amount of money they’ve raised.

“It’s a nice community challenge. You can drive around town andsee the businesses and the levels they’re at,” Prospere said.

As always, the more teams, the merrier. Anyone who wishes tostart a Relay for Life team and begin fundraising needs to registertheir group online at www.relayforlife.org/lincolnms, or by callingChambers at 601-835-9403 with any relay questions.

But the relay team isn’t just focusing on events in LincolnCounty. It’s also encouraging its walkers to participate in CapitolDay, when blue-clad relay participants will visit the statehouse inJackson to urge the passage of a statewide smoking ban.

“The big deal for 2011 is passing smoke-free work places,”Prospere said. “That’s our big focus.”