Worley takes part in Rally Idol
Published 12:00 am Thursday, February 2, 2017
Straughn’s Gage Worley is one of six kids who have been impacted by cancer who performed last weekend in the Rally Idol 2 competition in Atlanta.
The competition was held at the Buckhead Theatre, and performed in front of a crowd of more than 800 people and four American Idol alumni who served as guest judges – Clark Beckham, Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams and Anthony Fedorov.
They six kids raised more than $135,000 for childhood cancer research.
Worley beat stage four hepatablastoma.
Rally Idol, first held in 2014, was the vision of sisters Emily and Courtney Roach, with 13-year-old Courtney leading the charge this year. The total amount raised accounts for ticket and merchandise sales; sponsorships, including Zaxby’s as the presenting sponsor; and donations that were made by the audience during the event.
“Rally Idol 2 was so special, and we could not be more proud of our Rally Kids who performed at the show and shared their stories,” said Dean Crowe, CEO and founder of the Rally Foundation. “We stand in awe of Courtney’s vision that became a reality. The Roach family, our event sponsors and the Rally Kids furthered our mission of finding better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures for childhood cancer Saturday night.”
“We were inspired by what we were able to accomplish with the first Rally Idol that we wanted this year’s event to be even bigger,” said Courtney Roach. “It’s been an honor for my family to not only raise money for childhood cancer research, but also to raise awareness that more funding is needed.”
The performers at Rally Idol 2 included:
- Rally Kid Audrey – age 14 – beating ovarian germ cell cancer
- Rally Kid Gage – age 19 – beating solid tumors
- Rally Kid Mary Tipton – age 10 – beating ovarian germ cell cancer
- Rally Kid Ruby – age 12 – beating soft tissue cancer
- Kenzie – singing in honor and memory of her sister Rally Kid Hailey (2008-2010)
- Meredith – singing in honor and memory of her sister Rally Kid Kylie (2002-2015)