(RICHMOND HILL, Ga.) CURE Childhood Cancer, the only organization providing financial and emotional support to local children and families while raising funds to further critical research specifically for childhood cancer treatments, is launching their CURE Flags campaign to raise funds and awareness for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. The decorative banners, featuring the gold awareness ribbon and the message “no child fights alone,” can be hung on homes and businesses, mailboxes, lawns, gardens and anywhere it can spread a message of hope.

“We have had a great response during the pre-sale period because our neighborhood captains who are helping to promote them have done such an amazing job,” said Mandy Garola, Vice President of CURE in South Georgia. “Their enthusiasm is inspiring. Our goal is to sell 4,000 flags this year, and I think we’re going to surpass that number.”

A sign of the overwhelming support in our local area, the number of our flag sales is almost equal to the Atlanta area, which has a much larger population. At one point in the pre-sale period, 1800 flags were sold in 24 hours.  One reason for these accomplishments is Sheri Neidlinger, one of the neighborhood captains driving sales of CURE Flags. She and her husband Richard have been supporters of CURE Childhood Cancer for nearly a decade. Through their family businesses, they have been corporate sponsors of Catie’s Gathering events. Individually, Sheri has hosted tables at the events and worked as a neighborhood captain previously.

In a tragic coincidence, a week before the CURE Flags went on sale, Sheri’s grandson was diagnosed with a childhood cancer. Immediately, she felt the love and support CURE offers patients and families as the boy’s pediatric oncology treatment program began.

“Being in the boat is a whole new perspective,” Neidlinger said. “As I sit here and eat my lunch that CURE delivered, I’m humbled and proud that we have supported an organization that fed, educated, and spoiled my sweet boy all in one day. I never thought that our family would be one of the families that CURE helped. We will now work even harder with them,” she added.

“Sheri Neidlinger and her family have been such wonderful supporters of CURE, and now we’ll be there to support her grandson and her family as they face this,” Garola said. “The fundraising for research is critical, and serving patients and families is another way this organization helps. That’s when the motto on the flag, ‘no child fights alone,’ really comes to life.”

For those who want to support the cause, CURE Flags can be purchased at cureflags.org.

CURE Childhood Cancer is working for a cure by funding research exclusively for childhood cancer and supporting families affected by the disease. Childhood cancers differ from adult cancers in the way they grow and spread, how they are treated, and how they respond to treatment. Every year, more than 17,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer, and incidence rates are increasing every year. Despite cancer being the leading cause of death by disease in children, only six cancer drugs have been developed and approved specifically for children in the last 25 years.

ABOUT CURE CHILDHOOD CANCER
Founded in 1975, CURE Childhood Cancer is dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through funding targeted research while supporting patients and their families. With cancer as the second leading cause of death in children, CURE has dedicated more than $38MM to specific research projects aimed at curing cancers that affect children. CURE is headquartered in Atlanta and has an active staff operating throughout the greater Savannah area. It is the only organization funding pediatric cancer research and providing this level of financial and emotional support to local children and families across Georgia and parts of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.curechildhoodcancer.org.