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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Bingo Bash 2012
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Former Moultrian falls to his death
A former Moultrian died Wednesday night after being pushed from a second-story walkway at his apartment complex in Bellingham, Wash., the previous day.
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Convicted burglar sentenced to 14 years in prison
A man convicted in December on burglary and theft charges was sentenced Friday to a 14-year prison sentence.
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Fires damage two homes
Stove fires damaged two homes this week, but no injuries were reported in either incident, Moultrie Fire Department reports said.
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![CAG Tech Fair Winners 2012[1].jpg](http://d6673sr63mbv7.cloudfront.net/archive/x2009900191/g030000000000000000b4a9cc0f769eccc2ea8c64ef4a09832f6735f445.jpg "CAG Tech Fair Winners 2012[1].jpg")
C.A. Gray Technology Fair winners
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Drug charge added when police arrest theft suspect
A Meigs man charged with theft faces additional charges as suspected marijuana was found on him at the time of his arrest, Moultrie Police Department reports said.
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CORRECTION: DUI charge
In a Jan. 28 report, The Observer said Ronald Craig Bass, 50, 4411 Dunn Road, Hartsfield, was charged Jan. 26 with driving under the influence, open container violation and probation violation in connection with a minor wreck on Camilla Highway. Excluding the probation violation charge, that information came from a Moultrie police report of a November 2001 incident.
Bass was charged with probation violation Thursday because all the penalties from the 2001 incident had not been paid. He paid the remaining penalties following his arrest, according to a Moultrie police report.
The Observer regrets the error. -
Peanut Commission Research Report Day will be Feb. 8
The Georgia Peanut Commission will hold the annual Research Report Day Wednesday, Feb. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. at the National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL), located on the University of Georgia Tifton campus. The event provides growers and industry representatives an opportunity to hear the latest reports on research projects funded by GPC in 2011.
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Boy Scouts help the needy with Scouting for Food program
Scouts of the Suwannee River Area Council, Boy Scouts of America will be collecting food today to help the hungry in the council’s 13-county service area, which includes Colquitt County.
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