Six Flags prescribes fun, smiles

Laughter proves the best medicine for a special group of teenage cancer survivors on Red Carpet Day!

May 25, 2005

Atlanta - Six Flags Over Georgia is rolling out the red carpet for a group of very special guests June 1, 2005. Sponsored by Heart of Passion Inc., Red Carpet Day is a unique event that offers young cancer patients a day of VIP treatment at Atlanta destinations like Six Flags Over Georgia.

Over 50 teenagers have been invited to Red Carpet Day 2005 from cancer treatment centers throughout the Southeast. They will arrive via Limousine at 9:30am just before the park opens. Photographers, park representatives, characters, and U.S. Marine escorts will greet them on a red carpet in full Hollywood VIP fashion.

Although many Red Carpet Day participants are currently involved in intensive treatment programs with their physicians, Six Flags Over Georgia has a prescription of its own for the day: Fun. The goal is to provide this group of teenagers an opportunity to let loose and celebrate with VIP access to all the roller coasters, shows and attractions at the park.

Red Carpet Day was created in 2002 by 17-year-old Girl Scout Savannah Solomon. While fighting her own battle with cancer, Solomon decided to create a special day of diversions just for other cancer patients her age.

One participant of Red Carpet Day explained, I have never felt so special in my whole life. With all the help from the volunteers, military, and so many different people, they did everything for me. It was a true blessing. It was the best 4 days ever in life.”

Now in its fourth year, Red Carpet Day has become an important part of the lives of many of its participants from as far away as Augusta, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Columbia, Asheville, and Knoxville. This year Red Carpet Day has also expanded to the Dallas and Ft. Worth area, where the first Red Carpet Day will be held at Six Flags Over Texas.

Red Carpet Day in Atlanta has actually grown to several days due to the generosity of several sponsors. The Atlanta Braves, Jillian's Arcade at Discover Mills, and Georgia Tech to name a few, have all chipped in to help provide four days and three nights of VIP treatment.

About one fifth of donations to Red Carpet Day are in the form of goods and services from local businesses. Over eighty percent of the event’s budget is funded by the generosity of individual contributors, many of which remain anonymous. Anyone can help roll out the red carpet by contacting Heart of Passion Inc. by mail at 155 Chaparral Trace - Tyrone, GA 30290; or by visiting the web site at www.heartofpassion.net

Heart of Passion Inc. was founded in 2005 as a non-profit organization dedicated to creating programs that offer encouragement, inspire confidence, promote friendship, and advance knowledge. Heart of Passion aspires to provide a chance for young people to recharge from the stresses and pains of their daily lives and to leave them with lasting memories of luxury, life, and peace of heart and mind.