Venecia’s Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports cancer patients, needs at least 250 online purchases before production begins on personalized car tags.
Venecia’s Foundation is named after Piedmont resident Venecia Butler, who died of cancer in April 2015. About a year ago the organization began the paperwork to start the creation, design and state approval of the tag, said Randa Carroll, Venecia’s sister.
“If we don’t get the 250 it’s another year and then we will have go through the whole process again,” she said.
The car tag features the foundation’s name and anchor logo, inspired by the Bible verse Hebrews 6:19, which refers to hope as an anchor for the soul.
“We didn’t want to do a breast cancer one because we help with more than just breast cancer,” Carroll said. “It’s for all cancer. That’s why we didn’t make it all pink.”
The tags are priced at $50 and Venecia’s Foundation receives $42.75 from each order. Proceeds from the tags will go toward making care packages for cancer patients.
Carroll said in the past year about 500 bags have been given away, priced at about $100 per bag. She also said the organization has given cancer patients over $20,000 in gas cards.
In addition to gas cards, care bags contain items such as food cards, blankets, pillows, lotion, ChapStick, eye drops, tissues, port pillows, gum and mints in an effort to support and comfort cancer patients and their families.
Carroll said car owners don’t have to wait until their tag is due before they sign up for the precommitment list.
“If the tag is not in production it’s not going to make a difference and they still aren’t going to get the tag,” Carroll said.
Once production begins, the people on the preorder list will be sent a waiver to take to their local tag office.
“You have to go online and do it. You can’t go to your local tag place,” Carroll said.
If anyone needs assistance signing up and paying for the tags online, Carroll said, the foundation is more than willing to help.
“We can set up a time to help or we can do it for them,” Carroll said. “We just need a debit or credit card and their information.”
–Casey Boyles, The Anniston Star