This year’s Covington County Relay for Life raised nearly $100,000 for the fight against cancer.
Chairperson Alison Tew said as of Monday, the fundraising total set at $97,217 following Friday’s Relay “Go Long for a Cure” event.
At the end of the night, the following winners were declared for the most money raised:
• by an extra-large team: PowerSouth.
• by a large team: Shaw.
• by a medium team: Covington Electric Cooperative.
• by a small team: South Alabama Gas District.
Spirit winners were City of Andalusia, Andalusia Hospital, Wal-Mart and South Central Alabama Mental Health.
This year’s “Light of Hope” award went to Comfort Care Hospice, while the “Team Captain Volunteer of the Year” award was given to SEAGD team member Reba Gant.
Tew said this year’s “Committee Member of the Year” is Larry Brown.
“Larry has gone above and beyond this year to make sure Relay was a success,” Tew said. “He worked daily to solicit contributions for the event and participated in as many team activities as possible. He is a true example of the volunteer spirit.”
The T-shirt competition winner was the Red Level High School student team, while the campsite competition award went to the Straughn High School student team.
A total of 15 teams set up campsite the night of Relay.
Crowds swarmed the Kiwanis Center Fairgrounds last night for the annual American Cancer Society’s Covington County Relay for Life celebration.
To “change things up,” chair Alison Tew told the crowd that rather than have a doctor speak on the symptoms and process of cancer, the RFL committee wanted to focus on the caregivers this year.
This year, Dr. Gabrielle Baldwin and her sister Kristi Powell, whose husband, Johnny, died Christmas Day, shared their stories as caregivers.
Baldwin, who is a pediatrician at Covington Pediatrics, said she never dreamed her education in how to care for cancer patients would benefit someone in her family.
“When I went to medical school 15 years ago, I never realized I would minister to someone in my immediate family,” she said.
In 2010, Johnny Powell was ready to celebrate the holiday season with his family but was suddenly hit with mild reflux. By the following Monday, his family began commenting about the yellow color of his skin, which prompted an emergency trip to the doctor.
By the beginning of December, the family got the news it was cancer, and not just any cancer, but a rare form of gallbladder cancer.
“He was 42,” Baldwin said. “When I found out what the tests showed, I knew we were dealing with something major. Then our worst fears were confirmed. It was cancer, a very rare and often silent form until it’s too late.
The prognosis was that treatment would improve Johnny’s quality of life and prolong his time on Earth, but he would not get over it.
“Without treatment, he would have had mere weeks to six months,” she said. “We had him for an additional 12 months.”
Baldwin said it’s difficult for someone to watch his or her family member go through something like that, and it’s difficult for a physician to watch a patient.
“For me, this was doubly heartbreaking,” she said. “I know I cannot intervene and cure everyone, but thanks to Relay a balm is applied. Some only think of the long-term effects, but Relay is more, and not all side benefits are medical related. The time, effort and money the community donates is uplifting. It’s a balm to our soul.
“Thankfully, we are well-grounded in our faith in God,” Baldwin said.
And it’s that faith that took the family through, Kristi Powell said.
“A pastor once told me, from the moment you draw your first breath you are going to die,” she said. “This past year wasn’t the route I thought I’d take, but I’m thankful for the journey. We knew God had a reason. God doesn’t put more on us than we can handle.”
Powell said when you find out your loved one has an illness like cancer there are two things that come in your mind – worry and peace.
“Worry is your head knowledge and peace is your heart knowledge,” she said. “We didn’t worry. We knew God was going to take care of it. Johnny would say, ‘I’m the one with cancer, and I’m not worried. No one else should be either.’”
Powell said that God made it clear to the family that Johnny’s sickness was going to be used for his kingdom.
“Sure, we prayed for complete healing,” she said. “But we also prayed for God’s will to be done. How he chose to heal him was his choice.”
Powell said everyone asked the family how they could be so calm and content.
“God has a plan,” she said. “And Johnny would say he was humbled to be part of that plan. The day he died, he got the best Christmas present. He spent Christmas morning with us and he went home to see the Savior.”
Powell recalled the family’s conversation with her children, Jared and Kaleb, about why Johnny chose to have a do not resuscitate order.
“He said where I’m going to, I don’t want to come back,” she said. “And it’s not a question of if we’ll see him again, but when we’ll see him again.”
Money raised from events such as RFL go to help find treatment for all types of cancers including rare forms.
At last count, RFL had raised more than $90,000.
As the “go green” movement increases, so does the amount of recyclables collected in Andalusia.
Eddie Crittenden, recycling center manager, said in Andalusia, residents have the option of curbside pickup of recyclables such as newspapers, magazines, telephone books, office paper, mailings, aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles and jugs and cardboard.
And they are, he said, as the nearly 40 percent of Andalusia residents who participate in the city’s curbside recycling program have kept more than 500,000 pounds of refuse out of the landfill in the last five months alone.
All recyclables go into one bag, and are picked up on the weekly trash pick up routes. Upon arrival at the center, the bags are placed onto a table, opened and the items are hand sorted.
Once sorted, those items are packed and bundled and then sold to the highest bidder.
“Everything we take in here is resold,” Crittenden said. “What can’t be sold is buried in the landfill. That’s why it’s so important to recycle, because those things that can’t be reused, they’re buried in the ground.”
From October, at the beginning of the fiscal year, through the end of March, 573,840 pounds – or 286.92 tons – have been saved from going into the landfill, Crittenden said.
“That’s a lot of stuff, when you think about it,” he said. “People don’t really look at their bags and think that’s a lot, but it adds up.”
Crittenden said he believes 2012 will be a record year for recycling. At present, nearly 184 tons of cardboard, 23.45 tons of metal, 18.99 tons of plastics, 43.36 tons of newspaper and 17.44 tons of office/mixed paper was recycled and sold. In total, it earned the city $5,609.29 – and saved valuable space in the landfill, he said.
“I think it will be a tremendous year for recycling,” he said. “I’ve already sold three loads of cardboard, one load of metal and two other loads of cardboard are ready to go. None of that is in those totals, and we still have five months to go in this year, too.”
Crittenden said as residents become more aware of the benefits of recycling and the city’s ability to handle those items, participation will increase.
“Of course, we always feel like (participation) could be better,” he said. “We want people to recycle. That’s the bottom line.”
The recycling center and landfill can be found in the city’s industrial park, located just off Sutton Road.
Andalusia residents can participate in the program by calling the recycling center at 222-0862. A green recycling bag will then be delivered to your home. When filled, put the green bag out beside your hobo, a recycling crew will pick it up and leave you another one.
Area churches and individuals are invited attend a concert by the Southside Baptist Church Choir in Andalusia on Sun., April 29, at 6 p.m. to celebrate mothers and to celebrate life.
The church choir will provide special music, and information about the ministry of Sav-A-Life will be shared during the concert.
A dessert reception to honor mothers will be held following the concert in the Family Life Center.
For more information about the concert, call Jan White at 222-2907 or the church office at 222-4300.
If your church plans to attend, please call with an approximate number of people coming so that the church can prepare desserts for the reception.
The James Gang Amusements will continue its carnival tonight and tomorrow night at the Crow’s Nest Barbecue across from Massey Automotive in Andalusia. The carnival is from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Armbands are $20 each, and look for a $5 off coupon inside today’s paper. Top: Presley Mohon rides the elephant ride Wednesday night.