Relay redux: Traveling couple again manages to attend a fundraising feast

Tom Mayer, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·2 min read

May 2—Relay For Life is the world's largest volunteer-based fundraising event and the signature event for the American Cancer Society. For more than 36 years, communities across the world have come together to honor and remember loved ones, and take action for lifesaving change.

On May 10, 2024, the Limestone community will join the fight with its annual Relay for Life Limestone County. More than a fundraiser, the event is also a time for celebration as the fight against cancer gains ground each year — meaning that every Relay locally and throughout the world are important not only to the global effort to end cancer, but to each of us individually, said Cherry Hammonds, Limestone Relay's lead organizer.

"The unfortunate situation is that all of us have a relationship with cancer, whether it's a relative, friend or someone we know," Hammonds said.

But the real takeaway from the events is the outcome, Hammonds said.

"We're making a difference," she said. "And this event is open to the entire community to join us in making that difference as we celebrate and fight against cancer."

One way the community makes that difference is by Relay teams working throughout the year and hosting special events to fundraise for cancer research.

And one of the most popular and successful efforts is the annual City of Athens Relay for Life Celebrity Waiters night. The local celebs — from Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks to Athens High School Football Coach Cody Gross and a host of others in between — change jobs for an evening to work for tips as they wait on tables at Applebee's with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

This year, the April 30 event not only had special waiters, it had special return guests. At the 2023 event, Brad Ardner and his wife, Laurie, from Minnesota were traveling through Alabama and stopped at Applebees in Athens to find themselves in the middle of that year's celebrity waiter fundraiser event. Their timing was good as Laurie is a breast cancer survivor.

On April 30, 2024, they were similarly traveling through — and managed to stop at Applebees again not knowing the event was going on. The couple joked with organizers and suggested the stop would "cost them some money." The reply: "God put you here to leave a big tip."

As of May 2, the event had raised $5,155 as several band students (Athens High School band director Ty Parker was among the favorite celebrity servers), other Relay teams, city employees, chamber of commerce members, community leaders and others showed up to show their support.

This year's communitywide Relay For Life of Limestone County event is 6 p.m. May 10, at Athens Sportsplex, 1401 US 31N, Athens. The public is invited to attend the carnival-like celebration.