ATHENS-Local celebrities, including a cancer survivor and a caregiver, will become waiters on Thursday night to see who can raise the most in tips to support the American Cancer Society.
The annual City of Athens Relay for Life Team’s Celebrity Waiters Night will be at Applebee’s in Athens on Thursday, April
16, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Last year’s event raised $5,368 in tips for ACS.
“The night is about raising money to support research, awareness and services for survivors, but it is also about sharing survivor stories with patrons and working together to make an impact,” said Team Captain Holly Hollman.
This year’s list of Celebrity Waiters includes:
- Mayor Ronnie Marks, whose daughter is a breast cancer survivor.
- Athens-Limestone County Chamber/Tourism President Pammie Jimmar, who is a breast cancer survivor.
- Athens High Football Coach Cody Gross.
- The Pink Ladies, Kay Burlingame and Jackie Jackson, who are raising money in memory of Jackson’s daughter, Staley, who died from cancer.
- Athens Firefighter Jordan Pugh.
- Athens Police Officer Michael Stainbrook, appearing as Spiderman.
- Newcomer, Doug Swaim, who jokes he is the Mayor of the Trailer Hood.
The Celebrity Waiters are competitive and want to earn bragging rights for raising the most in tips. That’s why Stainbrook will appear as the Tobey Maguire version of Spiderman.
“I’m going to web up cancer,” he said.
Stainbrook will have to work hard to defeat the reigning champions, The Pink Ladies. Last year, the duo earned $1,674 in tips in memory of Staley Jackson, who died at age 36. Her mother said the pair wears pink cowboy hats because Staley Jackson loved horses.
After last year’s win, Jackie Jackson said, “We did it for Staley. People donated for Staley.”
Marks said the event touches “at our heartstrings” because each year, the waiters hear a story from the diners about a personal battle with cancer.
Last year, a woman from Grant, Mich., Barbara Hemmeke, said her group stopped to get a hotel room in Athens on the way home from a stay in Florida. The group went to Applebee’s to dine and stumbled into the Relay for Life event. Hemmeke is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2007. She spoke to several of the waiters and said she is seven years cancer free. Her Facebook profile states, “Worked at Beating Cancer.”
Hollman thanked Applebee’s for hosting the fundraiser annually.
“Applebee’s and its staff are amazing to work with, especially with the volume of customers this event brings in,” Hollman said.
Celebrity Waiters will be able to accept cash, checks made out to City of Athens Relay, credit cards and Venmo to collect tips. Those who cannot attend Thursday can make a donation ahead of time to a favorite Celebrity Waiter by calling 256-233-8730.
