Special to The Post-Searchlight

Blaine Palmer, the son of Robert L. (Bobby) and Jeannette Mathis Palmer of Bainbridge, has been named as a candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Man & Woman of the Year campaign in Atlanta, according to an LLS press release.

Palmer joins other community leaders to see who can raise the most money for the organization within a 10-week time period, starting on March 28.  Money raised during the campaign will advance LLS’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Palmer is a graduate of Robert F. Munroe High School and Mercer University. A resident of Atlanta for the past five years, Blaine is founder and principal of The Palmer Team and Associates at PalmerHouse Properties and is a multi-million dollar producing realtor.

Palmer is a board member for the Atlanta Humane Society’s 1873 Society Club, member of Ardmore Park Association and the Historical Preservation Committee, is a host committee member for Open Hand’s Party in the Kitchen, and is an active member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.

“I am excited to be part of such a worthwhile campaign, and to have the opportunity to give others the ability to connect themselves to cancer in a different way, to become champions of hope,” Palmer said. “I look forward to my friends, family, company and community joining me in this fight.”

Every dollar each candidate raises counts as one vote.  The candidates with the most votes will be awarded the titles of “2013 Man and Woman of the Year,” respectively. The event, in its fifth year in Georgia, hopes to raise $650,000.

“We are looking forward to another successful campaign and are thrilled that Blaine is part of it,” said Tracy Manning, senior manager for the campaign.  “We know that these candidates, like those before them, will give tirelessly of themselves to further our cause. We also look forward to welcoming the community to the exciting Grand Finale in June to see how their hard work pays off.”

More than 500 people are expected to attend the Grand Finale Celebration at the Loews Atlanta Hotel on June 8. The night begins with a silent auction and reception, followed by the event program and dinner.

To attend or donate to one of the candidates, visit online at www.mwoy.org/ga.