Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS)—the largest private oncology/hematology practice in the Southeast—and WSB-TV—the largest TV station in Atlanta—again spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day collecting suitcases for Georgia’s foster children during the fifth annual “Totes 2 Tots” suitcase drive. This year produced the best result ever, as over 2,000 totes were collected.
Dr. Wendy Hawke appears
on Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta.
The event was held Monday, January 15, from 10 AM to 1 PM at 13 locations across Georgia, including eight in the Metro Atlanta area.
“Totes 2 Tots” delivers new or nearly new suitcases to foster children in Georgia, many of whom must shuffle their belongings from home to home in garbage bags. The bags are distributed to children in the counties in which they’re collected. The annual volunteer event was first launched by GCS in 2003 and has collected and distributed over 8,200 bags.
“Martin Luther King Day is a day for community outreach, not simply a day off,” said Dr. Bruce Feinberg, President/CEO of GCS. “Through ‘Totes 2 Tots,’ we honor Dr. King by helping to bring respect and dignity to the foster community in Georgia.”
The Totes program has also gained the avid support of Governor Sonny Perdue and First Lady Mary Perdue. They are very active in the foster community and have been foster parents themselves.
“Foster children are very near and dear to my heart. With more than 15,000 of Georgia’s children in foster care, it is imperative that we continue to spread awareness and promote successful programs such as Georgia Cancer Specialists’s ‘Totes 2 Tots,’ said First Lady Perdue. “This initiative has provided many of Georgia’s foster children with the necessary equipment to help soften the burden of frequent relocations. I hope that you will embrace, support, and contribute to this benevolent cause for the benefit of Georgia’s children.”
In 2005, WSB-TV recognized the importance of the drive and agreed to support it as a part of its Family 2 Family Project. This was the third year that GCS and WSB-TV have partnered for “Totes 2 Tots.” Family 2 Family is the longest running locally produced, comprehensive, station-wide public service effort in Georgia. It includes shows such as People 2 People, a weekly half-hour public affairs program hosted by Jocelyn Dorsey that chronicles events and newsmakers in metro Atlanta.
**Statistics from Governor Sonny Perdue’s web site:
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