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ALBANY, GA -- Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital held a tree lighting ceremony Monday evening for their “Lights of Love” campaign.

The Junior Woman’s Club of Albany and Phoebe Cancer Services partnered together to raise thousands of dollars to help cancer patients and their families.  A total of $40,000 was raised and the money will go towards the resource center where books and audio visual aids will be purchased for patients and their families.  Linda Van Der Merwe, Vice President of Oncology says the money will also benefit two special areas.  “We’re also going to have a counseling room for our social workers so they can council patients and their families.  And the other room will be for meditation, prayer, a place to reflect, and things along those lines for the patients, their families, and their children.  We are so lucky to have raised this much money and to be able to give this gift back to the patients at Phoebe is just amazing” says Van Der Merwe. 

This is the 28th year for the event which has raised more than $1 million dollar since 1983.