TIFTON — Horizons second annual Night for Hope, a fundraiser that raises money for cancer screenings for those who are uninsured or underinsured, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center.

Horizons Community Solutions, which serves 32 counties, helps pay for cancer screenings for those who can’t afford them, according to Horizons CEO Cynthia George.

“We continue to be a cancer coalition,” George said. “I work very closely with other cancer coalitions in the state, and we work very closely with the Department of Health. They fund a lot of our screenings that we provide.”

George said that they focus on screenings for breast, colon, prostate, lung and cervical cancer.

“We have chosen the cancers that are the most preventable or the ones that are caught early and we can have the most impact on,” she said. “We work predominantly to get those patients who don’t have insurance or don’t have enough insurance and can’t afford a $3,000 colonoscopy. We provide that for them in conjunction with hospitals and physicians.”

George said that both Tift Regional Health System and Phoebe Putney have been long-time partners, and that they just started a partnership with Colquitt Regional in Moultrie. The hospitals or doctors refer patients to the organization.

“The most valuable thing we do is we navigate those patients,” she said. “We take a patient that maybe hasn’t been to the doctor in 20 years…  we work with that patient, tell them all about (the test), coach them  all the way through, tell them how to prep, how the doctor is going to do and check with them that morning to make sure they’re going. Our patients are eight times more likely to show up for their test than other patients because we work with them, holding their hand throughout the process.”

George said that the most rewarding part of the work is knowing they are saving lives.

The Night for Hope helps pay for the tests that save those lives.

George said that the event will be honoring Dr. Laura Efaw.

“I can’t think of anybody better (to honor) than Laura,” she said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to celebrate and recognize her. We’re going to have a fun night. This is about celebrating someone’s life and celebrating the ability to help people and save their lives.”

Tickets are $75 per person or $1,000 for a reserved table. For tickets and sponsorships call 229-352-9100 or register online at horizonscommunity.org/fundraising-events.