JACKSON – The Northampton County Commissioners received the annual Relay for Life Proclamation at their regular meeting here Monday. Event organizer Laquitta Green-Cooper, the county’s Clerk of Court, presented the information to the Board.

2018 will mark the seventh year the fundraising event will be held in Northampton County. Relay for Life raises money for cancer research while also honoring survivors and caregivers and remembering loved ones who have already passed on.

Green-Cooper reported that Northampton County has raised over $310,000 in the past six years.

“We don’t have any major sponsorships,” she said, explaining that the largest single donation from a sponsor totaled only about $1,000 each year. “The rest of it comes from everyday working citizens.”

This year’s event will be held on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at the Northampton County Cultural and Wellness Center, located at 9536 NC Hwy 305, Jackson. The theme will be “It’s Game Time, Let’s Beat Cancer.”

The Clerk of Court thanked the Commissioners for allowing them to use the facility each year. She also mentioned a special thanks to County Manager Kimberly Turner and Clerk to the Board Komita Hendricks for helping take care of some last-minute issues during the 2017 event.

In the time leading up to the May fundraiser, the Relay for Life committee will sponsor a few awareness campaigns to spread the word.

The “Paint the County Purple” initiative will take place between Sunday, April 1 through Thursday, May 31. Residences, churches, and businesses all throughout the county are encouraged to display on their premises purple bows with a splash of yellow.

People are encouraged to wear yellow in support of all caregivers on “Make a Difference Day,” which will be observed on Monday, May 14. “Strut your Stuff Day,” observed on the following Wednesday, asks people to wear purple that day in support of cancer survivors.

During the Relay for Life event, citizens are encouraged to display their favorite team flag on their vehicles in support of the “Game Time” theme for 2018.

Commissioner Geneva Faulkner motioned to approve the proclamation and the use of the Wellness Center for the event. The Board unanimously voted in favor of approval, and then thanked Green-Cooper and her Relay for Life committee for their hard work.