Walkers will Light The Night tomorrow at The Classic Center

The Georgia Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will host the annual Athens Light The Night Walk (LTN) on Friday, October 4, at 5:30 pm at The Classic Center. The Walk encourages teams of families, friends, co-workers and local and national corporations to come together to raise funds for LLS. This will be one of five Light The Night Walks held in the state of Georgia this Fall. As inspiration for the Walk, LLS has selected a remembered hero who lost her battle to blood cancer and an honored hero that is fighting blood cancer.

Janice Toney, a beloved wife and mother, is this year’s remembered hero. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011 and three months after beginning treatment, her myeloma went into remission. Janice, a former church administrator, was a woman of strong faith. She joined LLS and organized her own team, Champions Through Christ, for the 2011 Light The Night Walk. Janice rallied her friends and family and exceeded her first fundraising goal within a couple of months. Five short weeks after leading her team in their second Light The Night Walk, her battle with blood cancer ended. This year, we remember Janice for her amazing strength and unwavering commitment at the Remembrance Ceremony, where walkers carry gold balloons in memory of loved ones lost.

Kale Corbett, a beloved son and brother, is this year’s honored hero. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), received a transplant over a year ago and is progressing wonderfully. Kale completed 5th grade at Jefferson Academy this past spring. He enjoys playing sports, hunting deer, playing board games and drawing. Kale is strong in his faith and comes from a loving family, which have been instrumental in his journey. Kale will be a part of the white balloon reception, where walkers carry white balloons for being patients or survivors of blood cancers.

“We are pleased to remember Janice and honor Kale this year at the Walk. We have received a tremendous amount of support from the Athens and Clarke County communities and it really shows in the enthusiasm demonstrated by our partners, sponsors and Walk teams for the Light The Night Walk. We are currently on track to reach our goal of $115,000 and we could not have done it without the many volunteers and participants who helped this Walk,” said Dr. Robert Sinyard, Corporate Committee Walk Co-Chair for the Light The Night Athens Walk.

The Athens Walk will draw close to 50 teams, and funds raised will be used to fund lifesaving blood cancer research, free educational materials and events for patients and families, local family and patient support programs and comprehensive, personalized assistance through LLS’s Information Resource Center. During the event, walkers carry illuminated balloons - white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer -- and form a community of caring, bringing light to the dark world of cancer. The Remembrance Ceremony is to be held at 6:00pm and the White Balloon Ceremony for cancer survivors is at 6:45pm with the Walk to follow.

The Walk’s presenting sponsor is Athens Regional Health System. The media sponsors are Magic 102.1 FM and Power 100.1 FM of the Cox Media Group.

For more information about LLS or the Athens event, contact Light The Night staff at (404) 720-7841 or log on to www.lightthenight.org/ga.