Cole County will raise money for cancer research for an entire week, beginning Monday.
Relay for Life of Cole County's "A Week of Hope" begins with an opening ceremony Monday evening.
Each of the event's celebrations and ceremonies during the week begins at 7 p.m.
The events may be viewed at secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=96684 or on the organization's Facebook page.
The events will not be livestreamed, according to Ashley Patterson, senior community development manager. Each night, the videos will be uploaded for viewing at 7 p.m., so they will remain online and may be viewed at a later date.
"The opening ceremony will be very similar to what happened at the traditional in-person event," Patterson said. "We will welcome everyone, the Capital City Choir (Royal Blues) will be singing the National Anthem, local cancer survivor Liz Morrow will share her survival story, open up the online auction and share the Week of Hope schedule."
Speakers for other evening ceremonies have not been identified.
The speaker on day two, the "Survivor Celebration," will introduce a slideshow highlighting local survivors.
During the "Recognition Celebration" on Sept. 16 the organization will highlight its sponsors, teams and individuals who support its mission.
Sept. 17, day four, offers the "Caregiver Celebration," when a local caregiver will share their story and introduce a slideshow highlighting the work caregivers perform in Cole County.
The "Fight Back Ceremony" is Sept. 18, when organizers will highlight how the American Cancer Society is fighting back against cancer.
A downtown Jefferson City Luminary Display and Memorial Ceremony is Sept. 19. Personalized bags will be illuminated and placed along the sidewalk in the 100 and 200 blocks of High Street. The bags may be dedicated to the memory of deceased cancer patients or in honor of living cancer survivors. They can also be dedicated to the caregivers.
There is also an option for a gold-colored bag representing childhood cancer survivors.
Through donations, light poles along High Street will be lit in memory or in honor of a loved one who had or has cancer.
The poles are to be strung with purple string lights and will support personalized flags.
The personalized flags on the light poles will include the names of the people to whom the flagpole is dedicated.
"The poles will be available for viewing (Sept. 16-19), but the bags will be out for viewing (only 7-9 p.m. Sept. 19)," Patterson said.
A closing ceremony will be Sept. 20.
All through the week, there will be an online auction at 32auctions.com/rflcolecomo. Bidding begins at 7 p.m. Monday and ends at 7 p.m. Sept. 20. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
"Like in years past, we have several teams that are doing fundraising in the community through various activities," Patterson said. "The fight against cancer is being challenged. But it's a fight that cannot be canceled. Cancer patients need us now, as COVID-19 continues to threaten critical services and patient well-being."
The pandemic is causing risk to patients. About 79 percent of cancer patients report delays in treatment because of the pandemic.
Donate to the Relay for Life of Cole County at relayforlife.org/colecomo.