Support for Jimmy Carter going to Southwest Georgia cancer patients

PLAINS — Yard signs sold in moral support of former President Jimmy Carter during his cancer treatment are doing more than just blanketing the streets. Each one purchased, officials with Phoebe Putney Health System say, is helping a Southwest Georgia cancer patient in need through the Phoebe Foundation Cancer Crisis Fund.

The Friends of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, a non-profit organization headquartered in Plains, printed the “Jimmy Carter For Cancer Survivor” signs following a cartoon published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The signs became an overnight sensation, with more than 350 signs sold throughout the United States and Canada.

Proceeds from the sign sales go to further the Friends organization’s mission, and to the fund through the Foundation. At a recent board meeting in Plains, the Friends group presented their first check to Phoebe President and CEO Joel Wernick.

“We wanted to show our support of President Carter during his treatments, let him know that we all love him and are thinking of him,” said Kim Fuller, executive director of the group, which works alongside the National Parks Service to help conserve the town of Plains through education and preservation. “As more and more people asked where they could purchase a sign, we decided this would be a great way to spread support and help others who have cancer.”

Twenty percent of the sign sales go to the crisis fund to help indigent cancer patients in Southwest Georgia who are in active treatment at Phoebe Cancer Center with necessities such as rent, utilities, travel to treatment and pain and nausea medication.

Phoebe Foundation Director Lauren Ray says the fund is designed to help patients who are unable to work during their treatment, who often find themselves in financial distress and unable to handle daily living needs.

“It is our intention to help alleviate the stress of extraordinary circumstance so patients who have lost all or part of their income as a result of their diagnosis can be as comfortable and compliant with treatment as possible,” said Ray.

To purchase a sign, visit friendsofthejimmycarternationalhistoricsite.org. Signs cost $35, and include shipping and handling. To donate directly to the crisis fund through Phoebe Foundation, visit supportphoebe.org or call (229) 312-4483.