Beaufort County Relay for Life is gearing up for an event this weekend, inviting all area cancer survivors for fun, fellowship and ice cream sundaes.

The chapter will host the event, Rockin’ Survivor Sundae Social, on Saturday, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at First Church of Christ in Washington. All area cancer survivors are invited regardless of whether they are registered for this year’s Relay for Life, set for May 1-2 at Washington High School’s Wagner Stadium, said event lead Dawn Johnston.

The annual sundae social is a time when survivors are invited to come together to fellowship and share stories, hear testimony from a guest speaker, play games and enjoy ice cream sundaes, Johnston said. The guest speaker for the event will be two-time cancer survivor Bob Schechner, who is, more or less, an ambassador for Relay for Life and goes around and talks to Relay groups, Johnston said.

“(The event) is just to have a time to fellowship and survivors to enjoy that time together,” Johnston said. “We want to show support for our survivors, and we would like them to come out so we can show them that support and that we love and care about them, too. Each survivor is important, and they’re why we do what we do for Relay.”

Johnston said the chapter is on track with survivor registrants about the same as last year, but the event still needs survivors to register to participate. Last year, the chapter won the Power of Hope Award for the Southeast Atlantic Division, given by the American Cancer Society for having the most survivors registered per capita — 292 survivors. The division covers North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Georgia, according to Johnston.

Survivor chair Sonya Fortescue was recently challenged by the chapter to kiss a pig if the group registers 500 survivors, which would be record-breaking for the county, Johnston said.

“She set the number and said she would do whatever we asked, and we made the challenge,” Johnston laughed. “But we might be able to egg her on if we make our goal from last year. We may have a special pig day for her.”

With Relay for Life coming up early next month, the chapter is working hard to get the most survivors to register as possible, Johnston. Teams can still register to participate, as well. Currently, the chapter has 25 teams registered, but it’s not too late to get involved, Johnston said.

“It’s not too late to get involved, to volunteer, to do whatever,” Johnston said. “It’s not too late. Our time is ticking down, and we’re just excited to see everyone. We know our survivors are looking forward to it, as well.”

To RSVP to the Rockin’ Survivor Sundae Social, call 252-695-9054. To volunteer, form a team or register, call Survivor Chair Sonya Fortescue at 252-945-1501 or Event Lead Dawn Johnston at 252-943-5061.