The Tifton Gazette extends a round of applause for organizations and individuals doing good things in our community.

Teri Hughes and Relay for Life

When the Relay for Life event arrives every year, it’s the result of months of work and planning.

Organizer Teri Hughes, along with other organizers and volunteers, has been hard at work.

“I’ve been able to learn from other event leads and committee members who have served on Tift County’s committee much longer than I have,” said Hughes. “Now, it’s my turn.”

Hughes is a strong advocate for the event, which raises money for cancer awareness.

Part of Hughes’ responsibilities as event lead is encouraging Tift County residents and businesses to participate in the event, which will be held Friday, April 27 at the E.B. Hamilton softball complex.

We thank Hughes and the rest of the organizers and volunteers and encourage our community to support the event.

Wiregrass Quilters Guild

The 2018 American Legacy Quilt Show was back at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture April 6-7.

The Wiregrass Quilters Guild put on the 2018 American Legacy Quilt Show this past weekend, showcasing quilts made by members of the guild, who hail from Tifton, Fitzgerald, Douglas, Ocilla, Albany and Leesburg.

As part of the show, the guild presented 10 Quilts of Valor to veterans and service members from the area.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation was started in 2003, and are given to active duty service members and veterans who have been touched by war as a way to thank them for their service.

The recipients were:

Charlie B. Wilson, Jr. of Yulee, Fla. who served as a Marine in the Gulf War.

Whitney Thompson of Sylvania, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Joseph D. Thompson of Tifton, who served as a hospital corpsman on the USS Saipan in the Navy in Iraq.

Jonathan Stevenson of Tifton, who served in the Army in Iraq and Bosnia.

Herbert Shippey of Tifton, who served in the Navy in Vietnam.

Armando Sanchez of Tifton, who served in the Army in the Middle East.

Ronald Lee Rainey of Sycamore, who served in the Army stateside during the Vietnam era.

John William Merritt of Sycamore, who served in the Army during Vietnam.

Charles McGhee of Albany, who served in the Army Air Corp and Air Force during World War II and Korea, and was a WWII prisoner of war.

Lucas Jordan of Tifton, who served in the army in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Larry Franklin of Leesburg, who served as a Marine in Vietnam.

Carol Louise Dickman Edmondson of Ashburn, who served in the Army stateside in the Womens Army Corps.

Billy L. Daniell of Tifton, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

David Adams of Broxton who served in Afghanistan and Kuwait.

We thank the veterans for their service and commend the quilters guild for honoring them.

ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Athletics Hall of Fame expanded Friday evening by six individuals and one team.

Ceremonies at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture enshrined Jenni Collins Smith, Teresa Cromer Walker, Chuck DeVane, Jorge Novoa, Luis Paredes and Andy Vaughn for individual achievements and the 1982 Stallions basketball team for winning the state championship.

We congratulate them on their induction to the hall of fame.

Dice run organizers, participants

A dice run in honor of nine-year-old Mikah Phillips raised more than $2,000 on Mar. 31.

Phillips was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare type of brain cancer, in February and has been receiving treatments since then, according to his parents, Debbie and Justin Phillips.

The family has to travel extensively to ensure Mikah receives treatment for his cancer, which takes a financial toll on the family.

To help raise money for travel and treatments, organizers Lonnie Lewis and Brian Collins put the event together, which started at Tifton Harley Davidson, when through surrounded counties and ended up at the Crazy Loon Saloon.

We commend the organizers and sponsors for putting on the event and the riders who participated.