(SAVANNAH, GA) –The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announced today
that Charlie Brown, sales and marketing manager for Old Savannah Tours, will
serve as this year’s Walk Chairman for The Georgia Chapter of The Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society’s annual Light The Night® Walk. The walk will be held
in Savannah at Forsyth Park on Friday, October 3rd.
As Chairman for the Light The Night Walk, Mr. Brown will invite all Savannah
area companies to join in the fight against blood cancer by forming corporate
teams and participating in the Light The Night Walk. Additionally, he will host
a corporate breakfast to ask other leaders in the community to join him in this
fight. The breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25th from 8am-9:30am at
First City Club in Savannah.
“Light The Night is extremely important to me. I know how The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society raises the funds that literally save people’s lives,”
said Brown. “I am honored to serve as chairman and will encourage the Savannah
community to join me in taking strides to save lives.”
While advances in treatments have vastly improved survival rates for some forms
of blood cancer, more than 53,000 patients died of leukemia, lymphoma and
myeloma in 2006. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among
children and young adults under age 20.
“Every five minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every ten
minutes someone dies from it,” said Dick Brown, Executive Director of the
Georgia Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “The Light The Night
campaign helps bring hope to thousands of patients and their families. We are
thrilled that Mr. Brown is serving as our Walk Chairman. His participation,
leadership and inspiration is vital to our efforts to make a difference.”
In Georgia, Light The Night’s fundraising efforts have grown from $460,000
in
2003 to more than $2.0 million in 2007. Last year, Savannah’s Light The
Night walk raised $165,000 to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. During
the
event, walkers carry an illuminated balloon along the two to three mile walk
route. Cancer patients and survivors will carry white balloons as “lights
of hope,” supporters carry red balloons and those walking in remembrance of
someone carry gold balloons. This year, The Society will host five Light The
Night Walks throughout Georgia . For more information, visit
www.lightthenight.org/ga or
call (678) 279-2020.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 66
chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world’s largest voluntary
health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing
education and patient services. The Society’s mission: Cure leukemia,
lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of
patients
and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more
than
$424 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Last year alone, the Society made 2.5 million contacts with patients, caregivers
and healthcare professionals.
For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the
Society’s Information Resour ce Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master’s
level
social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and
resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information
specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. ET.