Cancer Coalition of South Georgia helps stomp out cancer

ALBANY — Albany’s Veranda on Meredyth Drive was flooded with purple, pink and blue Saturday morning as teams of supporters came out to engage in the fight against cancer at the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia’s annual Cancer Stomp charity walk.

This year’s Cancer Stomp was the third organized by the Cancer Coalition to help raise funds that the organization puts toward a variety of programs to help south Georgia residents impacted by cancer.

“This is an annual event where the community comes together for a reflective, non-competitive walk that people do in honor or memory of someone they love, either a cancer survivor or someone that they’ve lost to cancer,” said Cancer Coalition of South Georgia Chief Executive Officer Diane Fletcher.

Fletcher said that prior to the Cancer Stomp, area residents, businesses and schools formed teams that engaged in various fundraising activities and presented proceeds from their efforts at Saturday’s event, which also featured a variety of activities for the whole family, including games, inflatables and face painting.

“There are different teams that signed up to raise money, and many of those teams are here today,” said Fletcher. “In addition to we have lots of family-friendly activities that promote excerise, physical activity and being healthy.”

Fletcher said by the start of the walk Saturday morning, teams had already presented $6,200 of the event’s $7,000 goal, with more money expected in the days following the event as teams that weren’t present on walk day turn in their proceeds.

“The important thing is that all of the funds raised stay right here,” said Fletcher. “Everything is 100 percent local, which is different than national cancer organizations. All of our programs, all of our services, are for the people here. Everything that people do to support the Cancer Coalition comes right back here to the community. We’re very grateful for all the businesses and our volunteers that have come out to support us.”

Fletcher praised the event’s major sponsors, inlcuding, Hughey & Neuman, Central Monitoring, Tara Foods, Bank of Lee County, SB&T, AB&T, McDonald’s of Albany, Procter & Gamble, MillerCoors, Lee State Prison, Albany Technical College, Keystone, Albany Mitsubishi, Majors, Porterfield Memorial United Methodist and Southeastern Federal Credit Union.

To learn more about the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia and its programs, visit www.sgacancer.org.