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Catie's Fund reaches milestone
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Jenny Wilkins talks to Catie's Fund supporters during the "Sisters On a Journey" banquet at Honey Ridge Plantation in early March. - photo by Photo by Kristin Pate
Mark Lastinger
Updated: Mar 27, 2018, 6:29 PM
Published: Mar 27, 2018, 6:36 PM

GUYTON — The desire to defeat childhood cancer is growing. The monetary commitment to make it happen is, too.

Catie’s Fund, started locally in 2007, has raised $1 million.

“Every bit of it goes to research because it is a named fund (of CURE Childhood Cancer),” said Jenny Wilkins, who co-founded Catie’s Fund with her husband, Tre. “There are no administrative costs or salaries that come out of it.”

Catie’s Fund was formed in honor of the Wilkinses’ daughter. She was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, on her first birthday. She endured 12 surgeries, four chemotherapy protocols and six weeks of radiation before succumbing in 2007 after four years and four months of life.

“(Fundraising) was slow the first few years,” Jenny Wilkins said. “We didn’t find our sweet spot for a while. It took 11 years to hit our first million but I think we will hit our second million within three or four more years because we have increased our profit and the growth has been pretty consistent.”

Initially, the Wilkinses tried golf tournaments and other methods to generate donations to Catie’s Fund. Now the primary fundraising event is “Sisters On a Journey,” an annual banquet that features table table decorating and auctions.

The last one held at Honey Ridge Plantation early this month raised more than $136,000. It featured nearly 1,000 participants.

“It’s an event that people enjoy and that is different,” Jenny Wilkins said. “I also think we have amazing community support. I think our community has really bought into the cause.

“We’ve had a lot of kids with cancer in Effingham County so I think awareness has been raised.”

“Sisters On a Journey” banquets are bolstered by table sponsorships, raffles and donations for the auctions. A banquet in Savannah produced $106,000 for Catie’s Fund. Additional ones are planned in Statesboro and Bryan County.

“I could throw dinners all I want and not make any money,” Jenny Wilkins said. “People come out of the woodwork to give us items and sponsorships. None of this would be possible without their support. I don’t think there are words to describe how it feels to have a community come around a cause like that.

“God has really blessed us that he took the worst of our lives and turned it into my favorite night of the year. The community enabled that and it is pretty amazing.”

The Wilkinses decided to start Catie’s Fund after learning about the dearth of funding for childhood cancer research.

“Cancer is the leading killer of children,” Jenny Wilkins said. “It kills so many more than accidents and other diseases combined but no one is throwing money at it. The money is not there.

“... It’s not’s good enough and we don’t want other families to go through it.”

To donate to Catie’s Fund, visit https://curechildhoodcancer.org/funds/caties-fund/.
Effingham Donates 6,900 Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child
Cohen Busbee packs a shoebox with toys, school supplies and personal care items for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)
Updated: Nov 26, 2025, 7:11 PM
Published: Nov 25, 2025, 2:28 PM

RINCON, Ga. — Effingham County’s generosity will soon be felt across the globe. Local churches, civic groups and residents combined to donate 6,900 gift-filled shoeboxes this year for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that delivers presents — along with a message of Christian faith — to children in need around the world.

Volunteers fuel  participation

Among those helping lead the effort are Pat and James McElveen, who serve as project leaders for First Baptist Church of Rincon. The couple collects items for their church year-round, coordinates volunteers and helps involve people of all ages in the packing process, including seniors, Bible school groups and individuals from the Low Country Down Syndrome Society.

Operation Christmas Child, operated by the Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, aims to share the Gospel while providing what may be a child’s first gift. Each shoebox contains a “WOW” item, along with other small toys, personal care items, school supplies and clothing. Last year, the organization delivered nearly 12 million shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

Operation Christmas Child
James and Pat McElveen (back row) stand with Cohen (left) and Asa Busbee in a room where shoeboxes have been packed for Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)

Churches, civic groups and residents all contribute

This year’s local total includes contributions from churches across the county — including First Baptist Rincon (5,100 shoeboxes) and Springfield Oaks (1,800 shoeboxes), which also serves as a drop-off site — along with Boy Scouts, high school groups and individual residents who pack boxes throughout the year. Pat said the wide community involvement is what makes the effort meaningful.

All 6,900 local boxes were delivered this week to Metter, where they will be transported to Atlanta for processing before being shipped around the world. Because many deliveries travel into remote regions, not every gift arrives by Christmas, and distributions continue throughout the year.

Once the shoeboxes reach their final destinations, each child receives both the gifts and a booklet explaining the Christian message in their language. For the McElveens and FBC Rincon, that message is at the heart of the project. ”It’s all about Jesus!”

With another successful collection completed, the McElveens say they are already preparing for next year and looking forward to the thousands of children who will once again open a shoebox packed by caring hands in Effingham County.