It always feels good to take down a region rival above you in the standings in front of a home crowd, but last Thursday when Tallulah Falls did just that against Prince Avenue, it probably felt a little better than normal. The Lady Indians kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness month with their own “Pink Out Night,” to raise money for the Evie Peters Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to local people suffering from breast cancer.
“They help local women with their fight against Breast Cancer, with finances, transportation and different things like that,” Lady Indians Coach Matt Heyl said. “So the money will go to help in those cases, like if they don’t have money for transportation to go to the doctor, and things like that. They help meet needs in the community.”
The foundation was started by former Habersham County Commissioner Natalie Crawford in 2009, a year after she unfortunately got an up close and personal look at the debilitating impact that breast cancer – which affects about one in eight women – can have on someone and their loved ones.
“I lost my grandmother and my mother-in-law to breast cancer in a relatively short time span,” Crawford said. “My grandmother was first diagnosed in 2004, she went through mastectomy [a surgery that removes the entire breast], chemotherapy and radiation. We found out in early 2008 that the breast cancer had metastasized and we lost her in April of that year. That same January, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer and the same situation happened, mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and four years later we found out it metastasized and we lost her in 2012.
The foundation is named after her grandmother, Evelyn “Evie” Peters. The unfortunate experiences that she and her family went through made her realize there was a need in the community, especially for those that might not have the financial or familial support that her loved ones had.
“We’re still a relatively small non-profit at this point, and everything we raise comes back to the local community,” Crawford said. “We have a board that is entirely made up of volunteers, we keep our administrative overhead very low, and to date – since our inception in 2009 – all of those costs have been covered by the board and not by any donations. We try to help in ways that some foundations aren’t willing to do.”
While a lot of organizations might help with payment for treatment or other medical costs, the Evie Peters Foundation provides financial assistance to those fighting breast cancer by helping pay for everyday items like gas, food, childcare and utilities.
“Maybe we get them a gas card or grocery card, maybe we pay their utilities directly. That’s how – in my mind – we’re able to make a measurable difference,” Crawford said. “Though we are small, we do a lot of good things that other foundations don’t. The toll is so far beyond what is covered by insurance.”
For those interested in applying for assistance, the only requirements are that applicants must have a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer and must live in the northeast Georgia region.
“We’re going through some reorganizing right now. We have some vacancies on the board that we need to fill … we’re looking for board members. Also, we’ve been Habersham-specific in the past, with everything that was raised staying in Habersham County. We have, this year, started to go beyond Habersham into the northeast Georgia area, the Banks, Hall, Rabun, Stephens and White counties.”
If you are interested in becoming a board member or would like to donate to the foundation, call Natalie Crawford at 678-644-9829 or visit eviepetersfoundation.org. You can also donate through Paypal by clicking on “Support a charity” and searching “Evie Peters Foundation, INC.”