The Relay For Life of Penobscot will be held at the Old Town High School track in June of 2016.

American Cancer Society Staff partner Mike Trafton made the announcement this week, marking a return to the track the annual event called home for more than a dozen years. The 2016 Relay for Life of Penobscot will also be held later this year; on Friday and Saturday, June 17-18.

“RSU 34 Superintendent David Walker and Principal Scott Gordon have been instrumental in this process and are happy to welcome our event back to Old Town,” says Trafton. “We are incredibly thankful to the University of Maine for hosting us for the past five years at Morse Field, and are looking ahead to having warmer weather this coming June.”

The location change comes after the consideration of feedback from participants of Relay For Life of Penobscot. A survey conducted last year indicated that Penobscot participants would like to have the Relay later in the year so that the weather would be warmer and kids would be out of school. Returning to Old Town had a lot to do with scheduling, as the University of Maine has many events already scheduled throughout the summer of 2016.

“As soon as we saw the preference of a later – and warmer – date, scheduling became our priority,” said Event Co-Lead Karen Girvan. “Old Town High School is our former home and was available with flexibility in planning, so we made the switch.”

Before the full event in June, Relay for Life of Penobscot will hold its annual kickoff, their second annual A Night of Hope Under the Stars event, team meetings, and a variety of team-specific fundraisers. The date and location of the kickoff will be determined and announced in the coming weeks.

“Relay for Life is much more than an event. It’s a community,” says Girvan. “Survivors, caregivers and supporters gather at the Relay every year to catch up, share stories, share hugs, and to be there for one another, all while supporting the mission of raising money and awareness to fight back against cancer. There are plenty of ‘events’, but there is only one Relay for Life. We look forward to returning to our roots with the location, but also the focus of the 2016 Relay.”

In 2015, Relay For Life of Penobscot raised more than $125,000 for local programs of cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient services, including transportation and one on one support for cancer patients. The Penobscot event continues to be one of the largest fundraising Relays in New England, and last year included 53 teams who tirelessly walked the track for 18 hours, dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.

The world’s largest grassroots fundraising movement, Relay For Life mobilizes communities worldwide to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and provide participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups – people from all walks of life – all aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s vision of creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

For more information about Relay For Life, to find out how to volunteer, become a sponsor, create or join a team, please contact Mike Trafton at Mike.Trafton@cancer.org or go on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/RelayPenobscot.