Relay for Life efforts are heating up. Teams are forming, putting together a plan and looking for creative ways to raise money to combat this horrible disease.

Through the years, I have seen some pretty unique fundraisers. People have placed pink flamingos in the yards of their family and friends, which could only be removed when a donation was made.

Others set up small jail cells and locked members of the community up. Once the bail was set and paid, the arrested party was freed and the fight against cancer took another step forward.

Monday, I saw what could be the most creative yet.

A local Relay for Life team is doing its part to flush cancer down the drain.

The team, Selma native Beverly Morgan said, is using a unique tactic as a Relay for Life fundraiser, which involves placing a toilet in the yards of friends, family members and community leaders.

In exchange for the removal of these purple toilets, a donation of $20 is requested.

“We got the idea from the relayforlife.com website,” Morgan said. “We will have two purple toilets, and for a donation of $15 to $20 we will place a purple toilet in someone’s front yard for 48 hours. They may pay a $15 removal fee or donation to have the toilet removed prior to the 48 hours or pay $20 to ‘flush’ someone else.”

There are preventative measures that can be taken to keep the toilets out of a person’s yard, Morgan said.

“We will also offer ‘flush insurance’ for $25, which guarantees you will not be flushed,” she said. “We figured now would be a good time to get started on this, and we hope to raise as much money as we can.”

The first target of the program was the home of Johnny and Karen Morris. Many more, Morgan said, will be included.

Morgan, who works for the Montgomery Cancer Center, said all of the money raised would go to the American Cancer survivor and the Relay for Life effort.

The event, Morgan said, should draw a lot of attention toward the efforts surrounding the 2012 Relay campaigns.

“I think we are going to be busy running around with these purple toilets,” she said. “It should be a lot of fun.”

For more on the program, or to have a toilet placed in someone’s yard, call 872-9300.