Celebrity Waiters Night sets new city fundraising record for Limestone Relay for Life
Published 8:00 am Saturday, April 18, 2026
The City of Athens’ fundraising efforts are already in the pink ahead of this year’s Relay for Life event — thank in no small part to a special pair of “Pink Ladies.”
The Pink Ladies — the dynamic duo of Jackie Jackson and Kay Burlingame — helped the city’s Relay team set a new fundraising record at this year’s Celebrity Waiters Night fundraiser, which featured an A-list of locally famous Athens “celebrities” that included Mayor Ronnie Marks, Athens Police officer Michael Stainbrook (in full Spider-Man costume), and more.
Held Thursday, April 16 at the Athens Applebee’s, this year’s celebrity waiters event set a new fundraising total of $6,510, with The Pink Ladies alone accounting for $3,220 of that amount. Each team member waited tables for patrons throughout the evening, with the goal of collecting the largest tip total in order to benefit the team’s fundraising effort in partnership with the American Cancer Society.
Jackson and Burlingame raised their tip money in memory of Jackie Jackson’s late daughter, Staley Jackson, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 36. Staley loved horses and also the color pink — an affinity that would later lead to the duo choosing the color as a signature for The Pink Ladies. “I’m so proud we could do this for her,” Jackie Jackson said.
Mayor Marks placed third with a tip total of $795 — but despite the distant finish, he had nothing but praise for The Pink Ladies’ strong showing as a fun and meaningful gesture for honoring Staley’s memory. “I think most of the waiters knew it would be hard to beat Jackie and Kay, and they did Staley proud tonight,” he said.
New event participant and self-proclaimed “Mayor of the Trailer Hood” Doug Swaim finished second with $890 in fundraising tips. Swaim is also a volunteer with the Athens Lions Club.
Applebee’s staff cheered when the city’s Relay team announced that this year’s fundraiser had set a new record. One staff member noted that her father is a cancer survivor, and that seeing the community turn out for the event was special to her.
“This is the third year in a row we have beaten the previous year’s amount,” Relay Team Captain Holly Hollman said. “Our Celebrity Waiters, the Applebee’s crew and this community help us fight back and honor those who fight this awful disease, and we appreciate that support.”
Other Celebrity Waiters who helped the team reach a new record were Athens High School football coach Cody Gross, Athens-Limestone Chamber of Commerce/Tourism president Pammie Jimmar, Athens fire fighter Jordan Pugh and, of course, Spider-Man (aka Athens police officer Michael Stainbrook).
Every year, the City of Athens’ Relay for Life team hosts Celebrity Waiters Night at Applebee’s and asks local “celebrities” to wait tables and work for fundraising tips. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society for research grants, lodging, transportation, survivor services and awareness programs.
This year’s main Relay for Life of Limestone County event will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8 at the Athens Sportsplex (1401 U.S. Highway 31 North in Athens). Follow “Relay for Life of Limestone County, Alabama” on Facebook to find out more about participating teams, Relay events, and how you can get involved.