The employees of Georgia Power are looking to help find a cure for cancer. Each year, they join the Relay for Life campaign, insisting that every penny matters when it comes to finding a cure. On Saturday those pennies added up to $2,500 in the second annual Relay for Life Softball Tournament.
Hillery Sanchez, a customer-service representative at Georgia Power and the tournament chairperson, said they had eight teams, up two from last year, and they also added a few features that helped raise funds.
“After last year, we learned and this year it was better organized,” she said. “We added a Boston butt pre-ticket sale and we designed T-shirts which we sold.”
Sanchez said they also brought in a caterer, enabling Georgia Power volunteers to concentrate on running the games, selling merchandise and helping on the field.
All the officials volunteered their time. Three of the officials were from the National Softball Association out of Savannah. The other two were company employees.
This was Georgia Power’s main event for Relay for Life. Several employees will walk in the annual all-night relay. They do plan other events, such as hot dog and bake sales, and plan to continue selling the softball T-shirts.
Sanchez said the company has been involved in the annual campaign for nearly 20 years.
The tournament was sponsored by Walmart, Pepsi, Hinesville Day Spa, G and G Trophy, Hinesville Ford, Imprint Warehouse, Sho-Nuff Smoking Bar-B-Q, River Street Elegant Creations, Liberty County Recreation Department and the Georgia Power family.
This year’s first-place winner was Tillman Farms. Second place went to No Pressure.
Sanchez said Georgia Power will host another tournament next year.
“Last year, we had six-seven teams. This year we had eight. So if we can push it up to 10-12 we will be game for that,” she said. “We want to thank our volunteers and the Relay for Life organization. We are all trying to work hard to find a cure for cancer. We are glad to do anything that can help and we hope this contribution helps families affected by this illness.”