By the time the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event rolls around this spring, organizers of the famously successful fundraiser will have added yet another East County town to its roster.

It's Oakley's turn and we're ready to rock and roll, said Joe Ballard, the newly named chairman of the Oakley event. I've always tried to be as involved as I can be (in the Relay for Life) and I knew that there was a need here in Oakley, so I'm happy to be involved.

Ballard himself a cancer survivor will be working with Wendy Robertson, the lead volunteer for the Greater Bay Area Chapter of the Relay for Life. Together, the two Oakley residents hope to gather as much local support, volunteers and participants as possible; a task Robertson says she is looking forward to.

I'm going to be right here helping Joe fill in the spots, said Robertson, a two-time cancer survivor. Once a relay gets to a certain size, like Brentwood, it's nice to break off a little and create other chapters. We already have five teams in place and I'm sure there will be many more.

Ballard, who is also the president of the Oakley Delta Lions Club and a member of the Chamber of Commerce, expects the service-oriented community will come out in force to support the Cancer Society fundraiser.

This is a big project for sure, but Oakley has a lot of heart and I'm sure people will support the Relay, he said. We're looking for committee members and volunteers; we have a large list.

Robertson agrees. Now's the time to start. We'll be having a community meeting in a month or so and we're very excited to have it come to Oakley. Cancer has hit just about everyone in some way. We know there will be a lot of support for this.

For volunteer information or questions, call 925-934-7640 or 925-584-2439.