MOULTRIE — In December 2005, a 6-year-old girl lost her battle to cancer that she had spend over half her life fighting. To help prevent other families from having to deal with a similar fight, her father has set up an organization to spread awareness of childhood cancer.
The State of Georgia has agreed to issue a license plate to help raise money for the foundation. The tag will not be made, however, if fewer than 1,000 car owners sign up to receive it.
Kimberly Barnes at the Colquitt County Tag Office said 558 people had signed up for the Joanna tag statewide as of Wednesday. The tag is being made in memory of Joanna Rae McAfee of Warner Robins, who died of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, in her abdominal muscles. She was diagnosed with the disease on Christmas Eve 2002, when she was only 3 1/2 years old, and she died on Dec. 22, 2005.
The tag is being made as a way to raise funds to help fight pediatric cancer, and Barnes said all money raised will go to help children and their families. Money will fund research and will help parents to get hotels whenever their children go somewhere for treatments.
There is also an effort being made to have a Joanna Tag to be made in Florida, Barnes said. The Georgia tag will feature a silhouetted picture of McAffee with her arms raised in triumph, and the Florida tag would have a flower picture she drew.
Barnes said there is a $25 fee in addition to regular tag fees to apply for one of the Joanna tags. Anyone who would like to apply for a tag needs to bring their driver’s license to the Colquitt County Tag Office to complete the application process.
Anyone who would like to help but can’t afford to get a Joanna tag can also make a donation at the tag office, Barnes said. A petition for the tag can be found at the Joanna McAfee Childhood Cancer Foundation’s Web site at www.supportcancerkids.org. Information about the tag can be found at the Web site or at the tag office.
Local News
Car tag to help fight cancer
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