ALBANY — Yard signs sold in moral support of Plains, native President Jimmy Carter during his cancer treatment are doing more than just blanketing the streets of his hometown and beyond. Each one purchased is helping a Southwest Georgia cancer patient in need through Phoebe Foundation’s 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 thanks to publicity from news outlets across the country. To date, more than 350 signs have been sold throughout the United States and Canada.
Proceeds from the sign sales go to further the Friends organization’s mission, and to the Cancer Crisis Fund through Phoebe Foundation. At a recent board meeting in Plains, the Friends group presented their first check to Joel Wernick, Phoebe Putney Health System president & CEO.
“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 Cancer 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.
Lauren Ray, Phoebe Foundation director, says the fund is designed to help patients who are unable to work during their treatment, 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 Jimmy Carter For Cancer Survivor sign, visit the Friends website at www.friendsofthejimmycarternationalhistoricsite.org. Signs cost $35, and include shipping and handling. To donate directly to the Cancer Crisis Fund through Phoebe Foundation, visit www.supportphoebe.org or call 229-312-4483.