This is my first year participating in Relay for Life. My team has decided to make some bookmarks as one of our fundraising projects and we'd like to put poems on the bookmarks for what each of the 3 words Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back! means. I'm really confused as to what the words actually define. Someone on my team that's done this before says it means to remember the ones we've lost, celebrate their lives (their meaning those we've lost), and fight back against the cancer. Now, I've never participated in Relay for Life, but I've been aware of it in the past. And I've always thought it meant differently. I've also searched on the site and after reading these from the site:

By participating in an American Cancer Society Relay For Life® event near you, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight it – all right in your community.
Much more than a walk around a track, Relay is a time to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those lost and get inspired to fight back.

Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer.
Remember loved ones lost to the disease.
Fight Back against a disease that takes too much.

I'm still very confused! I've always thought the Celebrate meant to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and survived NOT to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and lost as this is what my team member says it means. And even reading from the website here, I still get the same meaning as I thought it always meant. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I really need to know what the word actually means so I can use an appropriate poem on the bookmarks. I don't want to use a poem that means celebrating life for a survivor of this terrible disease if it actually means to celebrate the lives of those we've lost. I just thought that's what the Remember part was about. I'd really like for someone to correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you! ~Hopeful

Mandi, I urge you to click on the second image at the top of the right nav, the Committee Chair toolkit. In the second paragraph of that page, you'll find a link to the "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Guidebook". Click on it to open (or right mouse click to save to your PC); caution: it's a big PDF so it'll take a while to open / download.

On page 5, CRFB is defined in six powerful lines. More importantly, the guidebook takes you through how each element should be woven into your Event.

If you have trouble opening the Guidebook, the pertinent extract is pasted below.

/Rick

Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people every year to …

Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight.

Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside those battling cancer can grieve and find healing.

Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease. Make a commitment to save lives by taking up the fight.