ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy
Tifton, GA 31793-2601
Phone 229-391-5055
Fax 229-391-5056
For IMMEDIATE Release April18, 2017
Carry The Load Step-Off Event at ABAC April 26-27
TIFTON –For the fourthconsecutive year, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will host a Carry The Load Step-Off eventbeginning at 5 p.m. on April 26 and continuing for 24 hours.Members of the community are invited to participate in the event which involves a constanttwo and one-halfmile relay through the campus.
The Carry The Load Step-Offculminates with a send-off for the eight ABAC students who will participate in the National Carry The Load Relay in a ceremony in front of Herring Hallon April 27 at 5p.m.
The goal of Carry The Load is to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day by connecting Americans to the sacrifices of our military, law enforcement, firefighters, and rescue personnel. Carry The Load was established in 2011 by Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley, former members of the United States Navy’s Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) teams.
The Step-Off serves as a prelude to the National Carry The Load Relay which begins in West Point, N.Y., on May 1 and ends in Dallas, Texas on Memorial Day.
In its inaugural year on the ABAC campus, ABAC sent seven students to participate in the National Relay. In 2015, ABAC had 700 participants at the Step-Off event on campus, and seven ABAC students then walked or pedaled a bicycle the 2,000-mile trek from West Point to Dallas for the National Relay. In 2016, 800 participants were involvedin the ABAC Step-Off event,and 11 ABAC students took part in the National Relay.
ABAC students participating in the National Relay this year areHunter Gainous,a diversified agriculture major from Brunswick;Shannon Kehoe,anagricultural communications major fromMyakka City, Fla.;Ginger Orton,anagricultural communications major from Tifton;Landon Rowe,a rural studies–writing and communication major from Ocilla;Mitchel Sheffield,a biologymajor from Donalsonville;Dustin Thomas, a natural resource management major from Plainville;Collin Vickers,a rural studies–writing and communications major from Alapaha;and Madison Woodson,a business and economic development majorfromJesup.
For more information on ABAC’s Carry the Load Step-Off event, interested persons can contact Dr. Johnny Evans and Matt Reid, event coordinators, via e-mail at
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