I received this from Sen. Eric Johnson, President Pro Tempore, a day or so ago and wanted to pass it along.

As many on my email list were out of the office for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am resending so all can have the opportunity to participate in this Georgia effort!

After sharing this special day with our family and giving thanks to God for our blessings, it is fitting for us to help a hurting community recover. And we can do it with just a few clicks of a mouse from our computers at home.

Rosalynn Carter has written an e-mail, asking Georgians to help Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus win a new, million-dollar MRI. The hospital was destroyed by a tornado last March. Insurance will cover much – but not all – of the rebuilding. By coincidence, Siemens Medical Solutions is hosting a contest to give away an MRI to one hospital in the U.S. The former First Lady wants the machine to go to Americus, Georgia (very near the Carters’ hometown of Plains), and is pointing people to www.winanmri.com where a popular vote is being tabulated. I did it and it is easy. Be sure you select “Sumter Regional Hospital” and watch the brief video about their story before you vote.

“Right now, we are in first place, but the second place hospital is just outside of Buffalo, an area with a much larger population than southwest Georgia,” Mrs. Carter wrote. “You will see that many hospitals, including other great hospitals in Georgia, have posted videos. Many of them are deserving, but I hope you will take the two minutes to hear our story and help us.”

Let’s make this a bi-partisan, pro-Georgia campaign. Our Senate colleague, George Hooks, lost his wife Gail to cancer a few months ago. She was on the Board of Sumter Regional Hospital. I think this would be a fitting tribute to her life and work if we all take up this cause. I have checked out the other 2-3 Georgia hospitals on the list and they are nowhere near the vote total of Sumter. Like Mrs. Carter said, they are all deserving. But only one can win. If we want a Georgia hospital to benefit, this is the one. And we all remember the tragedy of the tornado vividly.

You can vote once a day, every day. Please vote often and forward this message to your family and friends asking them to do the same. The last day to vote is December 31st.

Please pass this along to your email family and let’s give Sumter Regional Hospital a major boost in their effort to recover from last March’s tornado.

Thank you for Keeping The Faith.