Committee members for the West Escambia Relay for Life event are usually in place by this time each year with plans already underway for the annual event. However, committee members and a chairman for Relay are still being sought.

Relay Past-chairman Sharon Peacock hopes a meeting next week will put the wheels in motion for the 2012 event.

“We are still trying to get our committee together to get things going with Relay,” Peacock said. “No one has stepped up to take on the job as Relay chairman and we are hoping to get things moving along next week.”

A special meeting for anyone interested in being a part of Relay, either through committee participation or as a team, will be held Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at 110 Douglas Lane.

“We are looking for some fresh ideas on how to move forward with Relay,” Peacock said. “This is our community and we want this Relay to be what our community wants.”

Peacock said in recent years participation has seen changes with fewer teams participating in the day-long Relay event.

“We have had great fund raising by our teams but we didn’t have as many teams on the campus on the actual day of Relay as we had seen in the past,” Peacock said. “We hope to get some new ideas on what we can do to keep the spirit of Relay alive in our community. It’s tough to give up a whole day for Relay and give up all the time it takes to do fundraisers leading up to Relay each year. We are always looking for new faces and new ideas to join our group to keep things going for the American Cancer Society.”

Last year $30,000 was raised by teams and through donations from corporate and private sponsors as part of Relay for Life. In 2010, the total amount raised neared the $60,000 mark through the same efforts.

The number of teams participating in Relay has ranged from more than 20 to as few as 12. Peacock said she hopes teams from past years will commit to being a part of the 2012 event.

“We hope that those teams that have been so active in the past will keep up the pace,” Peacock said. “I know times are tough and that a person’s time is valuable, but this is a great cause. We are hoping to continue the efforts of the American Cancer Society in their efforts to fight cancer and search for a cure.”

To confirm attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, contact Peacock by email at sharonpeacock@hotmail.com.