January 25, 2013 (Atlanta) — Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS)—a Top 10 private cancer practice in the U.S.—collected 3,132 bags during the eleventh annual Totes 2 Tots suitcase drive for foster children. Twenty-four GCS offices across Georgia—including 18 in Metro Atlanta—participated in the drive.
More than 33,000 new or nearly new bags have been collected and distributed since 2003.
GCS Chief Operating Officer Dr. Wendy Hawke Lenz said, “The eleventh annual Totes 2 Tots captured the spirit of Georgia Cancer Specialists and our practice-wide commitment to helping others. I am proud of our efforts, and am grateful for all those who donated bags, their time, and their energy to this worthy cause. We believe we honored Dr. King’s dream as we provided tangible reminders to the foster children in our state that someone cares about them.
Totes 2 Tots delivers new or nearly new backpacks and kid-sized suitcases to foster children in Georgia—from infants to teenagers—many of whom must shuffle their belongings from home to home in garbage bags during frequent relocations. The annual volunteer event was first launched by GCS in 2003 and has collected and distributed more than 33,000 bags. Originally held on Martin Luther King Day as a way to honor Dr. King’s vision and give back to the community, Totes is now held on the Friday before MLK Day as a kickoff to a weekend of service.
GCS partners with the Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) to distribute the bags in the counties in which they’re collected. DHS Commissioner Clyde Reese said the bags serve as tangible reminders to foster children that they are cared about and respected.
“The Department of Human Services is appreciative of Totes 2 Tots and the generosity of those in the community who donate to this worthy cause, helping to bring some measure of comfort and respect to the children who receive these items. A bag may seem like a small matter but it is most definitely more.”
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 will be the eighth 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.
Visit www.gacancer.com or Facebook.com/Totes2Tots for more information.
Georgia Cancer Specialists is a Top 10 private cancer practice in the U.S. and a leader in advanced cancer treatment and research. The practice supports more than 150,000 patient visits each year. GCS offers community-based medical oncology and hematology services and is the first private oncology practice to also provide a full range of support services for patients in Georgia. GCS physicians were the first in Georgia to offer Phase I clinical trials, the most novel cancer therapies available. GCS 46 medical oncologists practice in 27 locations in Metro Atlanta, and North and Central Georgia. Georgia Cancer Specialists can be found on the web at www.gacancer.com. GCS is The Cancer Answer.
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