Mukilteo will host its own American Cancer Society Relay For Life fundraiser this summer.

The relay will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 9, with a rally from 3-5 p.m. at the Future of Flight's Aviation Center in Mukilteo. Cancer survivors will be honored and celebrated at this festive, family friendly event.

Attendees may register teams, volunteer for committees, and explore sponsorship opportunities at the kickoff rally.

The Relay For Life of Mukilteo will be held from noon on Saturday, July 13, until 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 14, at Kamiak High School's track.

Teams will spend 21 hours walking or running around the track, with at least one member of each team on the track during the entire event. Hundreds of participants and supporters will camp out overnight near the track.

A dramatic nighttime luminaria event, "Ceremony of Hope," is a hallmark of Relay For Life. White paper bags illuminated by candles will bear the names of loved ones, living or dead, who have fought or are now fighting cancer.

The kickoff rally will have luminaria for sale, which can be decorated and personalized.

The Relay For Life of Mukilteo is being organized by local volunteers. The co-chairs are Joanna Turgeon and her daughter, Emma Turgeon, a senior at Kamiak High School.

"Many of our friends and family members have been diagnosed with cancer, so the battle is very personal," Emma said.

"Our family started volunteering with relays in 2007 when my grandma died, and we got hooked. We did the South Snohomish Relay for five years, and we're excited to start a new Relay right here in Mukilteo."

Joanna and Emma Turgeon hope to have a full house for the kickoff rally on Feb. 9. Their goal is to have at least 35 teams of 8 to 15 members each, and to raise $60,000 or more for the American Cancer Society.

They emphasize that teams can be from anywhere and needn't have a Mukilteo connection.

Anyone interested in forming a team may visit the Relay For Life of Mukilteo website at www.relayforlife.org/mukilteowa. Questions? Contact Kim Gleason at MukilteoRelay4Life@gmail.com or 206-890-1965.

"Relay brings together so many different people and lives and communities,” Emma Turgeon said. “It's an event that lets those of us with cancer in our lives truly feel that we are superior to it.

“Relay is just pure magic."

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is the world's largest grassroots fundraising movement. It began in 1985, and today, Relay for Life events take place in nearly 5,100 communities in the United States and in 20 other countries.

Every relay celebrates people who have battled cancer, remembers loved ones lost, and provides participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease.