August may seem a long way off, especially with the recent snow, but organizers of Sequim’s Relay for Life already are gearing up for the Aug. 9 event. The event’s coordinators will hold a kick-off meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Sequim V.F.W., 169 E. Washington St.

This will be the third Relay for Life in Sequim. Before it started, participants from Sequim took part in Port Angeles’ relay (which is moving into its 21st year).

In 2006 the Sequim relay came into being because organizers felt Sequim had grown enough to support the event. The goal is to raise $75,000 for the American Cancer Society.

“The biggest reason that it came here is everybody that we know has been touched by cancer. There is not one single person that I know of that hasn’t lost a friend, a family member, either a distant family member or an intimate family member, to cancer, or if they haven’t lost someone they’ve had to deal with the byproducts of having had cancer,” said board member Brook Barnett. “The relay is about two things. One is to raise money to promote cancer research to prevent cancer and to try and find a cure. The second thing – which is really important to us in Sequim — is that it’s an opportunity for the community to get together and to celebrate life — to honor those that we’ve lost, but also to honor those that are still here with us, fighting cancer.”

This year’s theme is “No place like hope,” a take-off from the “Wizard of Oz.” The relay gives survivors, those who are fighting the disease and their caregivers a place to meet, exchange stories and ideas and to lend each other support.

The relay board hopes to be able to have more information at this year’s event promoting preventive health measures.

The public is welcome to the kick-off meeting. For more information, contact Scott Quast at 461-0670, Brook Barnett at 582-3880 or Dick Larson at 681-7843.