Fallon’s Relay for Life holds kick-off party

The Fallon Relay For Life is having a Taco Tailgate Kick-off Party on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 93 W. Center St.

Organizers want participants to sport their favorite team gear for a chance to win Relay for Life gear. There will also be raffles, a silent auction and Super Bowl pool.

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s annual fight against cancer. Participants remember those who died from cancer and honor those who have fought the disease and won. More than 4 million people in more than 20 countries raise funds and awareness for the war against cancer, according to relayforlife.org.

Organizers said about 30 percent of the money raised in the Fallon Relay for Life will stay in the community. Local money assists cancer patients and their families to provide either lodging or transportation for individuals seeking treatment.

Since the ACS was established 100 years ago, one out of 10 cancer patients survived; now that number has increased. According to the ACS website, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed between 2001 and 2007 is 67 percent.