WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Auction Benefits Emanuel County Scholarship
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SWAINSBORO, GA (WTOC) - For many parents, the death of a child would destroy their entire outlook on life. But one Emanuel County couple has focused on helping the friends and classmates of their late daughter.
As bidders walked row to row, Robin Canady helped count the money. She'll never see her child go to college, but she hopes to help send someone else's. Candace Canady was like any other little girl in her early years, then....
"Candace had cancer when she was 9 years old. She had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer," Robin explained.
Candace endured a year and a half of chemotherapy and treatment to beat cancer. Then in 2005, just two days before her annual cancer checkup, 15-year-old Candace was killed in a car accident.
"We were a close knit family," her mother added. "She was a momma's girl and a daddy's girl and she lived every minute to the fullest."
At the auction Saturday, fellow members of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church scurried around, selling chicken dinners. Members of the youth group carried purchases outside to the parking lot. Candace's parents say she was a devout Christian and active in her church. The couple set up a scholarship to support teens with those beliefs.
Robin and Randy Canady have awarded the scholarship the last two years, and this year hoped to expand it by holding an auction. Among the items up for bid, autographed footballs and art from Candace's high school, ECI. While she would have graduated last year, Robin wants to keep helping others that may not have even known Candace.
"It's kind of a healing process to us and to others in the community," Robin said. "And it gives us something to work toward."
Robin knew nothing can bring back Candace. But she hoped what they're doing makes their daughter proud. For more information on the scholarship, visit www.canadyscholarship.org.
The auction and dinner raised $7,059. One of the auction items was a day on the road with me and a tour of WTOC and a chance to sit in on THE News. We'll let you know when that happens and how it goes.
Reported by: Dal Cannady, dcannady@wtoc.com
