Lanterns flooded the streets of downtown Athens, Georgia. Red lanterns symbolized support, gold lanterns were held in memory of those who had been lost to blood cancer, and white, the smallest in number, were held by survivors. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Athens Classic Center Foundry Pavilion was alight with hope on Oct. 25 when hundreds gathered for Light the Night: Athens, a march across downtown Athens to show support and raise money for blood cancer research.
From college organizations to families of blood cancer survivors, these activists gathered under the night sky to bring light to a meaningful cause.
A night of action and remembrance
Rebecca Wallace works for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), specifically on the Light the Night campaign. Wallace lost two grandparents to cancer, which motivates her to continue her involvement with the LLS. She says that she loves to see people come together to support their mission.
“You get to see everyone coming together with their lanterns to really ‘light the night’ with the meaning of each of the colors of lanterns,” Wallace says. “We have our red [lanterns] for our caregivers and supporters, gold in remembrance of those we’ve lost, and white for our survivors. It’s really special to see that community come together to light the night together to bring light to the darkness of cancer.”
Carey Wood of Athens, Georgia walks in memory of her mother, Debbie. “My mom passed away with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2018 in the month of April,” Wood says. “We’re here to honor and support her and raise money for the [Leukemia and Lymphoma] Society to help with research with Leukemia.” Carey, along with the rest of “Team Debbie!” raised $2,775 for the LLS.
Top fundraisers included Carlton and Shannon Walstad, Team Warrior Alex, and Team Greencone. The volunteers, teams, attendees, and sponsoring corporations raised a total of $76,158 to fight blood cancer.
Join the fight
Light the Night: Athens might have concluded, but the fight against blood cancer is far from over. According to the LLS, every nine minutes someone dies from blood cancer. So how can you join the fight? Donations are always accepted through their website, but Wallace has even more ways the community can get involved.
“You can go to LLS.org so you can become a volunteer with us, or you can register to walk at a local place for you […] we have walks all over the country and several walks locations here in Georgia for Light the Night,” Wallace says. “We also have other opportunities for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society throughout the year that you can find on our website.”
To get involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, click here.
