Special to The Dorchester Banner Surrounding Sherman the Shorebird at the recent Dorchester Relay For Life Kick-off are, back, JoAnn Hutton, Cindy Cannon and Kitty Cannon. Front, Pam Gray, Gail Skinner, Juanita Weber, Phyllis Weber and Rylee Newcomb. Participants dressed in gear from their favorite teams to celebrate this year’s theme: Cheer for a Cure. . .Let’s Beat Cancer![/caption]

CAMBRIDGE — “Cheer for a Cure . . . Let’s Beat Cancer” is the theme for the 2015 Dorchester Relay For Life. The fundraiser got off to a rousing start Jan. 27 when team captains, committee members, cancer survivors and supporters met for the 2015 kick-off event at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

Relay co-chair Gail Skinner told the participants the 2014 Dorchester Relay For Life exceeded its goals, as 33 teams raised $103,166. So far in 2015, 22 teams have registered and raised over $7,000.

This year’s Relay will be held at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School on May 15 from 6 p.m. until midnight. Mrs. Skinner said the purpose of Relay is not just to raise money for cancer programs in Dorchester, but to recognize and support cancer survivors and honor the memory of its victims.

To support the “Cheer for a Cure” theme, those at the kick-off wore gear from their favorite sports teams, and cheered along with members of the Cambridge-South Dorchester cheerleading squad. They also had a visit from fan favorite, Sherman the Shorebird, mascot of the Delmarva Shorebirds, a minor league team of the 2014 Eastern Division Champion Baltimore Orioles.

Upcoming Relay fundraisers were announced at the event. They are: Bingo and Cake Tricky Tray, Feb. 22, 1 p.m., Cambridge Moose Lodge; Quarter Auction, March 6, 5 p.m., Cambridge Moose Lodge; and auctions each Saturday in April at Foxwell’s Auctions on Moose Lodge Road, beginning at 5 p.m.