Members of the CARTI Searcy Auxiliary are set to bring a seasonal glow to the White County Courthouse on Dec. 1 and 2 as part of the group’s 27th annual Holiday Luminary Project, benefiting CARTI Radiation Oncology in Searcy.
“The Luminary Project helps to connect people who care about cancer patients by giving them the opportunity to honor or memorialize someone with a gift that will benefit others fighting cancer,” says event chair Mary Jane Yingling, who also serves as auxiliary first vice president.
Raising thousands of dollars each holiday season, auxiliary members traditionally outline the White County Courthouse in downtown Searcy with hundreds of lights in support of cancer awareness.
Sold for $10 each, luminarias can be purchased at CARTI Radiation Oncology, or by contacting the center at (501) 268-7870. All proceeds directly benefit programs and services specific to the local CARTI facility and area cancer patients.
Sales for the luminary project are currently underway and will continue up until the lighting of the luminaries on Dec. 1.
“The Luminary Project provides an ideal outlet for those whose lives have been touched by cancer to celebrate and remember the survivor spirits affected by the disease; but luminaries are not limited only to honoring or memorializing cancer patients,” explains Yingling.
“Luminaries are sold in honor or remembrance of anyone for any reason, and that’s one of the more remarkable things about the Luminary Project,” says Yingling. “It not only provides a way for people to remember those who have passed, but it’s a way that they can also honor the living.”
Yingling credits community loyalty for having helped to establish the annual Holiday Luminary Project into a White County holiday tradition.
“Our community is a giving community,” says Yingling. “All profits stay right here at the CARTI facility in Searcy, and I think that means a lot to the people of White County. This is the auxiliary’s primary fundraising project, and we are always humbled by the amount that is raised each year.”
In years past, proceeds from the Luminary Project have been used in a variety of ways, funding everything from medical equipment and supplies, to magazine subscriptions for the facility waiting room and gifts for patients on treatment during the holiday season.
Facility director Cindy Wyatt credits the hard work of local auxiliary members for the continued success of the project.
“Their compassion and service are irreplaceable,” says Wyatt. “They are often the first faces a patient will see when they enter our facility, and they are always there with a warm smile, a kind voice and a gentle spirit, ready to serve and care for these patients in whatever way they can. They are so committed and dedicated to CARTI.”
“We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of volunteers,” says Wyatt.
Current officers for the CARTI/Searcy Auxiliary include June Stewart, president; Mary Jane Yingling, first vice president; Mary Ann Pickard, second vice president; Susie DuBose, recording secretary; Mikel Causey, corresponding secretary; Cheryl Pinkley, treasurer; Cathy Liles, volunteer coordinator and parliamentarian; and Karen Davis, membership chairman and historian.
To learn more about how to join the CARTI Searcy Auxiliary, contact membership chair Karen Davis at (501) 268-2222 or kkd2299@sbcglobal.net.