The American Cancer Society and the La Salle County Relay for Life Committee have announced the inaugural Upper Illinois Valley Relay for Life will take place Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11, at Maple Leaf Park in Earlville.

The team kickoff for the Upper Illinois Valley Relay will be Wednesday, Feb. 10 at the Maple Leaf Park meeting room. To join the planning committee, call Jenna Hague at 630-879-9009, e-mail jenna.hague@cancer.org or visit www.relayforlifeupperillinoisvalley.com.

The 14th La Salle County Relay event will once again be at Streator's City Park on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19. The kickoff for the Streator event will be Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Celebrations 150 in Utica.

"With over 1,100 residents attending last year's Relay for Life of La Salle County held in Streator, we realized the need for two events in this area to help better serve the growing number of people who want to participate," said Jo Ann Bowen, a volunteer for the Upper Illinois Valley Relay for Life.

Organizers expect the new relay to offer a more convenient location for those who live in the northern and western section of the county.

"We want all the residents in La Salle County to be a part of Relay for Life and we're hoping to bring in a lot more people," said Jenna Hague, American Cancer Society staff partner for both Relays for Life in La Salle County. "This new event in the Upper Illinois Valley will help accommodate more teams and give Relay for Life the opportunity to touch more people's lives."

The American Cancer Society awarded the La Salle County Relay for Life its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the society's recent Relay Leadership Summit in Itasca. After more than 13 years of conducting relays, La Salle County has raised more than $2 million to help in the fight against cancer.