In May, Carty, 49, will become a traveler on the famous Natchez Trace Parkway as he cycles through three states on his way to Natchez, Mississippi. And he’ll make this journey for the sake of a very good cause – to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

“I’m getting older, and I realize that unless I’m proactive, the risks for contracting this often devastating illness will go up,” says Carty, who points to the research linking obesity and even slightly excess body weight to an increased risk for developing one of the hundreds of diseases known as cancer.

“The New England Journal of Medicine reports that thousands of deaths could be prevented by maintaining an ideal body weight,” he adds. “So I’ve partnered with Dalton State’s Phi Theta Kappa Society to help raise awareness about cancer and the importance of staying physically fit and active as part of a healthy lifestyle.”

Carty expects that the journey will take up to one week, depending on how many miles he’s able to ride each day. It’s possible, he says, for him to ride between 50 and 100 miles daily, and he plans to find hotel lodging along the way.

Jenna Caylor, President of Phi Theta Kappa, will work with fellow members of the honor society and with members of the College’s new E-Circle K Club to raise money to pay for the lodging and food he’ll need. A community-wide yard sale is planned for Saturday, April 15, and proceeds raised above the amount needed for Carty’s trip will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

“This is a way for us to meet our service requirements, but more importantly, it gives us a chance to help with the fight against cancer,” says Jenna.

“We’re also sponsoring a link on the ACS website for donations for Operation 444. That money, along with the money we raise from the yard sale, will be used to help with Mr. Carty’s expenses and to help the American Cancer Society,” she adds.

The trip should cost less than $1000, organizers say, so there’s a good chance that a sizable donation will be made to the ACS this spring.

To prepare for the trip, Carty is training regularly, cycling when nature permits on challenging Northwest Georgia roads and engaging in resistance training and other aerobic activities, like intramural basketball, whenever possible.

A lifelong cyclist, Carty says he isn’t worried about the safety of the journey, as the Natchez Trace is a lightly-traveled two-lane highway with a posted speed limit of 50 miles per hour.

“I used to ride daily in the traffic in New Orleans,” he says. “If you can ride in New Orleans and live to tell about it, you can ride anywhere.”

As for his role in this fundraiser, Carty says he sees himself as a middle-aged poster child for physical fitness, helping to promote awareness about physical fitness and the war against cancer.

To make a donation to Operation 444, please click on the following link: http://teamacs.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=1074564&pg=personal&fr_id=1010