Four-year-old Addison “Addie” Seban of St. Simons Island, Georgia, proves the old adage that “good things come in small packages.” Addie, whose grandfather is a three-time cancer survivor, decided she wanted to do something to fight cancer through the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. The youngster combined her two favorite activities, painting and gardening, to paint and plant more than 60 flowerpots to raise money through donations to benefit the Relay of Glynn County. She has received donations for all 60 pots and is now working to make more.
Addie’s flowerpots are helping raise funds for the Southern Sweethearts Beauty Pageant, which will be held on Sunday, July 15, an annual fundraiser by the Relay team from Rich Products to benefit the Relay For Life of Glynn County. Addie’s mother, Laura, said when she told her daughter about the pageant and what it supported, the little girl asked questions about the American Cancer Society.
“I told her that they help people with cancer, do research, help women get mammograms and more,” says Laura. “One of my friends has had a mastectomy, so Addie knows about breast cancer.
“Addie was very independent while doing her pots and did not want her mother’s help,” Laura continues. “After she had made several pots, she asked, ‘Do we have a mammogram yet?’”
“While we don’t actually provide mammograms directly, it’s precious that she connects us in that way and is measuring her achievement in terms of how many mammograms she is helping with,” says Sharon Proudfoot, an American Cancer Society Community Manager in Glynn County. “She is truly a special little girl.”
Relay For Life of Glynn County was held on April 27 and has more than $310,000 so far for the fight against cancer.
Addie comes from a family with a history of community service. Her grandfather, who has battled prostate and colon cancer and melanoma, taught Addie’s mother about the value of community service, and her mother has now passed that along to Addie.
Addie will accept donations for her flowerpots through Friday, July 13. Call Sharon Proudfoot, 912-265-7117, for information. You can make a donation to the Glynn Relay through August 31 by visiting www.glynnrelay.org.