ARLINGTON — Even though 2010 still has more than a month left to go, the organizers of the Arlington and Marysville Tulalip Relays For Life aren’t waiting around to start raising funds for their 2011 Relays For Life.

Not content with setting a first-year record for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in 2010, organizers of the Arlington Relay For Life are looking to get a jump on their fundraising, while helping community members get a jump on their holiday shopping, at the Presidents Elementary Holiday Fair, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Kay Duskin explained that the Holiday Fair is a fundraising opportunity for any 2011 Relay For Life team, and will feature craft items, baked items, clothing items and special activities for children.

“We’ve already got 13 different Relay teams confirmed,” Duskin said. “We’re getting a head start on next year’s Relay. This year, we raised $250,000, so for next year, we’re upping our game a little bit and setting a higher goal.”

Tables are available for $20 to any team registered for the 2011 Relay and all proceeds will go to the Arlington Relay For Life.

“Plus, you get to buy candy boxes, cookie tins, scarves, jewelry, blankets, sweaters, inspirational notecards and Italian sodas,” Duskin said. “DECA is making crafts.”

For more information, you may contact Duskin via e-mail at kay.duskin@comcast.net.

“Any time you can help out a friend, a neighbor or a family member, it’s worthwhile,” Duskin said. “Everybody is affected by cancer, one way or another, so we want to get people thinking about this early and often.”

Organizers of the Marysville Tulalip Relay For Life are also aiming to promote themselves Dec. 3-4, by persuading community members to “Paint the Town Purple.”

The Marysville Tulalip Relay For Life Committee will go out into town to put up purple ribbons, posters and balloons during those days, when its members encourage everyone in Marysville to wear purple, to show their support for the fight against cancer and to honor and remember the ones they know who have faced with cancer.

On Dec. 3, local restaurants who support the Relay For Life will donate portions of their receipts that night to the event. On Dec. 4, the Relay’s organizers will take part in “Merrysville for the Holidays,” not only by entering a float in the Electric Lights Parade starting at 6:30 p.m., but also by staffing a booth at the water tower at Comeford Park from 6-8 p.m., where they’ll answer questions such as how to create or join Relay teams.

“We’ve had huge support from the city on this,” said Monica Olason, event chair for the 2011 Marysville Tulalip Relay For Life. “We’ve already signed up the mayor’s team. We know Arlington raised $250,000 this year, but we think we can do that,” she laughed. “In order to do it, though, we’ll need the help of our city’s businesses, government and community.”

Olason was 17 years old when her mother died of cancer, and last year her father-in-law died of cancer as well.

“There’s a big push in our family to do this,” said Olason, whose twins hope to stage a mini-Relay at Grove Elementary. “Whether it’s churches, the Kiwanis, the Rotary or anyone else, we could use everybody’s support on this one.”

“We want to show the surrounding communities what kind of town this is,” said Jennifer Holocker, a staff partner with the American Cancer Society. “We think it is going to grow to be huge.”