Community Involvement

Georgia Cancer Specialists’ physicians and staff are proud to be part of giving back to our communities.  Every year, we participate in the following outreach programs:

Stand Up for Stand Down

The Stand Up for Stand Down toiletry drive was started in 2012 by Georgia District Pilot International Clubs.  GCS became involved in 2013.  The Atlanta VA Stand Down event provides health and other services to help homeless Veterans get back on their feet. Travel/sample-size toiletry and personal care items are collected including toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, combs/brushes, body wash/soap, shampoo and conditioner.

“Stand Down” is a military term that refers to the time when troops are brought back from the battlefield for rest and recuperation.  “The assistance from our community volunteers, such as the Georgia Cancer Specialists and the Northside Hospital volunteers, is invaluable to the success of our Stand Down,” said April Edwards, LCSW, clinical director, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program.  “The donated items such as hygiene packets, clothing and food provide our veterans with basic necessities that many take for granted.”

Totes 2 Tots’ suitcase drive for Georgia’s foster children takes place annually during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Sponsored by GCS and Northside Hospital, all GCS offices participate in the drive, which delivers new or nearly new backpacks and kid-sized suitcases to foster children in Georgia.

More than 11,600 children, from infants to teenagers, are currently in the foster care system in Georgia. Many of these children shuffle their belongings in garbage bags when they are removed from their homes. Since totes 2 tots inception in 2003, the annual volunteer event has collected and distributed more than 47,000 bags.