Georgia Cancer Specialists Community Involvement
Georgia Cancer Specialists is committed to supporting the community through cancer screening and education programs, as well as charitable events.
Totes 2 Tots
Did you know that foster children often move their belongings in garbage bags? That’s why GCS employees volunteer their time each year collecting new or gently used suitcases and backpacks for Georgia’s foster children during GCS’s annual Totes 2 Tots suitcase drive.
“Totes 2 Tots” delivers new or nearly new back packs and kid-sized suitcases to foster children in Georgia, many of whom must shuffle their belongings from home to home in garbage bags during frequent relocations. The annual volunteer event was first launched by GCS in 2003 and has collected and distributed more than 17,800 bags. The 2008 event amassed nearly 4,500 bags. Originally held on Martin Luther King Day as a way to honor Dr. King’s vision and give back to the community, Totes is now held on the Friday before MLK Day as a kickoff to a weekend of service.
GCS partners with the Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) to distribute the bags in the counties in which they’re collected. Totes has also gained the avid support of Governor Sonny Perdue and First Lady Mary Perdue who are very active in the foster community and have been foster parents themselves.
To view photos from the GCS Stemmer office, click here.
Community Education and Screening
GCS physicians work with local organizations throughout the state, and frequently give lectures, to encourage proper cancer screening and prevention methods. The practice has taken an active role in events such as Cancer Screening Day, which work to make cancer screenings available to everyone.
GCS’s after care program, “Alive and Thriving: A Support Program for Cancer Survivors,” assists patients with the transition into post-cancer treatment and helps them adjust to their new lifestyle. As a part of this program, several GCS physicians and staff members frequently lecture on topics related to the prevention and management of cancer.
In 2008, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Georgia Cancer Specialists partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Athens Regional Medical Center, and several other medical organizations to present “Breast Cancer Answers: A Free Event with Barbara Dooley” to the Athens, GA, community.
The event was intended to raise awareness in the Athens community and urge attendees to be proactive in their personal health. Barbara Dooley’s keynote address and the Loran Smith-moderated Q&A session covered a variety of topics, including prevention and wellness, genetics, signs and symptoms, what to look for in a physician, the latest treatment options, insurance questions, clinical trial options, life after breast cancer, and more.
Magic of Life
For 18 years, GCS sponsored the annual Magic of Life event, the largest cancer survivor event in the South. For the past two years this important event has been held at Turner Field in Atlanta, offering a wide variety of activities for cancer survivors and their families. Magic of Life gives survivors a chance to join together and celebrate their achievements and successes in the fight against cancer.
At the event, attendees purchase Magic of Life t-shirts and blue “Alive and Thriving” wristbands, with the proceeds going to the Magic of Life Foundation, a non-profit organization supported by GCS since 2004.
