By Cindy Morley
Special to The Citizen
One by one, the Torch of Hope will be passed from survivor to survivor.
The Torch of Hope will begin its trek from Peachtree City City Hall about 4:30 p.m. April 29, being held high in the hands of Harold Logsdon, former PTC Mayor and Honorary Co-Chairman of the Fayette County Relay for Life – and most importantly, a cancer survivor. The Torch will be passed hand-to-hand as it makes its way along Highway 54 to Peachtree Parkway, Crosstown, TDK and Dividend on the way to Falcon Field, the new home of the Fayette County Relay For Life.
Once at the Relay For Life site, the Torch will be used to light to official Torch of Hope for this year’s event and the Relay will be underway.
As the Torch makes its way through the city, survivors will be greeted by cheers of joy and support as onlookers recognize these brave men, women and children for their courageous fight against the vicious disease known as cancer. Personal information on each of the Torch Bearers will be read aloud over the speakers at Falcon Field as they take the torch and begin their portion of the walk.
With the lighting of the Torch at Falcon Field, the Relay For Life in Fayette County will get underway. Survivors will make their Victory Lap around the track, and will then be joined by participants of this year’s event.
“I am honored to be the first to carry the torch for the Torch of Hope Walk this year,” said Logsdon. “As a survivor, this means so much to me.”
Ambassadors Terry Waldrop and Thomas Tuten will light the official torch.
This year’s Torch Bearers and the group they represent include:
Ambassadors: Terry Waldrop, Delta Tech Ops Sales and Thomas Tuten, McIntosh High School Student
Bearers: Harold Logsdon, Honorary Co-Chair of the Runway Relay-First Torch Bearer this year; Ashley Salter, Starr’s Mill Math Teacher; Davis Atkinson, Peeple’s Elementary Student; Casey Hall-Mandaro, Jennifer Gholston, Thomas Eye Group and RFL Committee; Todd McDonald, Fired Up For A Cure; Barbara Langston, Southern Federal Credit Union; Hobie Jones, Hobie’s Heroes/CollinsJones Law, Susan Chalkley, Sara Harp Minter Elementary Staff; Kathy Sweatman, Sara Harp Minter Teacher; Renee Laughlin , Global Aviation Holdings; Mike Galusha, Delta Airlines Pilots Assn.; Ted Knapp, Chalk Talk Live (Radio Show); Kerri Jackson, Delta Revenue Management Warriors and Melinda Bailey Buck, Relay Development/Survivors and Nine Time Cancer Survivor.
The survivors will gather at the PTC City Fountain at 4 p.m. April 29 for pictures and celebrations. They will be surrounded by the Power of Purple – thanks to the purple ribbons, banners and lights used to decorate the city by Peachtree City officials.
The walk will begin at 4:30 p.m., and end at Falcon Field a little before 7 p.m. with the lighting of the official torch and the Survivor’s Lap at the Relay For Life. Activities will go on throughout the night with the events including, the “Miss” Relay Contest (for male contestants), a passport scavenger hunt, Egg-ceptional Caregiver lap, Wear your Pajamas lap, Relay Trivia, and the Relay Top Chef competition. Tina Cannon, a competitive BBQ chef and one of the team leaders at this year’s Relay For Life, will be among those competing in the Relay Top Chef competition. The House Band Remedy will also be entertaining the crowds throughout the Relay.
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s largest fundraiser each year in their fight against cancer. The Fayette County Relay for Life will be held April 29 and 30 at Falcon Field. This is the first year for the event to be held at Falcon Field and organizers hope to make this the biggest and best Relay for Life yet.
“We hope everyone that can will turn out and cheer the Torch bearers on,” said Carrie Hicks, one of the coordinators of the Torch of Hope Walk.
Torch of Hope Route 2011 (proposed)
1. Peachtree City City Hall Fountain (turn right on Willowbend, then right onto Hwy 54)
2. Mile marker 2 on Hwy 54 east
3. just before Whitlock Attorney sign
(turn right onto Peachtree Parkway)
4. just after right turn onto Peachtree Pkwy
5. Crosswalk before Booth Middle
6. P’tree Pkwy and Waterwood Bend
(turn right onto Battery Way)
7. Battery and Van Ness
8. Battery and Presido Park
9. Fishers Luck and Harbor Loop
10. P’tree Pkwy and McIntosh Trail
11. P’tree Pkwy and Braelinn Green
12. P’tree kwy and Crosstown (just before bank)
13. Braelinn Village Kroger (will pick up motorcycles here and run across Hwy 74)
14. TDK Blvd and Dividend Dr.
15. Dividend and Aircraft Sp(turn right onto Falcon Drive)
16. 1 Falcon Drive to main torch
