Sharon McCollum Knight battled Sarcoma cancer for 25 years before passing away last year. Sharon is originally from Bainbridge but lived most of her adult life in Albany. As Tina Butler Fowler stood by her mother’s side throughout the treatment, she developed a passion for finding a cure. In 2012, Tina founded “Polo in the Pines”.
PIP is an annual charity polo event benefiting pediatric cancer research at the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Centers of Children. This two day Charity Classic polo event begins Saturday, October 13 at the Atlanta Regional Polo Center with its 6th annual Honoree Celebration to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research. Guests to Saturday’s high style afternoon will enjoy an exciting polo match, culinary presentations by The Capital Grille, handcrafted cocktails, live music by Grand Ville Band with Glenn Tennyson, Kinchafoonee Cowboys, an elegant Legacy Luncheon, silent & live auction, champagne sabering, and the time honored polo tradition of “Stomping the Divots”.
PIP is a 100% volunteer based, non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of funding specific pediatric cancer research awareness and family support. When founded in 2012, 100% of proceeds went to the Houston Clinic, where Sharon, was first treated for Sarcoma cancer. Later research was sponsored at The James Clinic in Ohio. On the 28th anniversary of Sharon’s diagnosis PIP joined with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to create the “Sharon McCollum Knight, Polo in the Pines Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta” and the last several years proceeds have gone directly to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In 2017 PIP was blessed to have raised $350,000 for Children’s Pediatric Cancer Research. http://www.choa.org/polointhepines
This year’s PIP honoree is a sweet little girl, Mrs. Caroline Brewer. Upon Caroline’s initial diagnosis, she decided to take action by raising money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with her very own Lemonade Stand in an effort to raise money for all other sweet children in her situation. She is quite the little entrepreneur! Little did she know, it would be come a community challenge. See below.
The idea of the “Traveling Lemonade Stand” became the brain child of Laura Lyn Jones Carter (Emmy Award Winner, Celebrity Chef, author of Skinny Southern, creator of Wicker & Whisk product line, and your “go to” for Southern Entertainment) and Rebecca Wiggins (R. Designs Interiors) both of Albany and friends of Sharon. Rebecca actually designed the stand and has graciously offered to be our guide.
Pictured below is the “Traveling Lemonade Stand” that made its debut in Albany recently and raised a whopping total of $5,300! WALB actually covered the event in Albany and in doing so, challenged Thomasville and Bainbridge to participate and raise even more.
Karol Butler and Chelsea Butler have accepted the challenge. So on Saturday, September 29, they will be set up in Willis Park (the square) in downtown Bainbridge. Sharon’s Bainbridge High School graduating class of 1969 has volunteered their help as well as numerous community members and family. Laura Lyn Jones Carter, Rebecca Wiggins, and Polo in the Pines founder, Tina Butler Fowler will also be there. Lemonade and cookies will be offered, of course as well as a little music.
They encourage everyone to come out, participate, and donate to such a wonderful cause! The American is joining in with them as well as a few other businesses around the square. They plan on doing a “challenge board” on social media, Facebook Live and hopefully on TV as three local news stations have been invited.
Here is an example of how they anticipate the “challenge board” to work: (Example: Sterling Widner with Sterling IT Solutions comes up and puts a $100 bill in the bucket. Then, they will go live with Sterling as he challenges another fellow business owner to donate…”Hi Everyone, this is Sterling with Sterling IT Solutions, I just donated $100.00 to the Sharon McCollum Knight, PIP Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in honor of little Miss Caroline Brewer. I challenge John Doe at Doe Enterprises to match or double my donation. Hope to see you soon”.)….all in good favor, of course! People do not necessarily have to donate at the time of the event, they are welcome to donate online at any time as well.
They also plan to challenge the different branches of law enforcement (Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, Public Safety, etc.)
