When Gulfport resident Cale Merrill was asked to help the American Cancer Society on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he didn’t hesitate to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Merrill was named the inaugural 2021 Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast Honoree of the Year in recognition of his efforts to raise nearly $6,500, beating out 16 other nominees who contributed to the campaign surpassing its $100,000 goal to assist in funding the transportation needs of cancer patients traveling to and from local healthcare facilities.
     The monies, totaling $114,500, benefit a Mississippi Transportation Grant awarded to Memorial Hospital and Singing River Health System, the only two cancer centers on the Gulf Coast.
“This is not something I’ve done in the past,” said Merrill about his participation in the campaign.  “I loved that the money was kept close to home and put right back into the community.  I loved seeing the ideas that a bunch of the honorees came up with to raise money.”

“I loved that the money was kept close to home and put right back into the community.”

Cale Merrill, American Cancer Society’s 2021 Gulf Coast Shucker of the Year

Merrill’s competitive nature is what he believes gave him an edge over other honorees.
     “When my wife and I decided that I would do it we didn’t just want to raise the goal we wanted to be in the hunt for the top dawg,” said Merrill. “I started fundraising early and was up for most of the campaign, but a lot of folks caught up towards the end and made it a tight contest.”
     Merrill also credits the support of his family and friends for helping put him in the lead.
     “I have to start with my wife, Nikki,” said Merrill. “She was behind the scenes helping me all the time. I had an overwhelming amount of support from friends of family. Everyone has been affected by cancer so everyone can relate. My family helped me hit my first goal pretty quickly and friends helped me hit the next one and it just kept going from there.”

     Merrill, 37, is the Lead Agent at United Risk Agency, a start-up firm that opened in June 2019. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University in Risk Management, Insurance, and Financial Planning in 2007 and earned his Master of Business Administration from William Carey University in 2012. Merrill currently serves as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of the Gulf Coast. He is a board member for the Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi, and on that organization’s Young Agents Committee. He has been on the board for Coast Young Professionals for the last four years, and he was a member of the 2016 class of Leadership Gulf Coast. He was also named 2021’s Top 50 under 40 in Mississippi.
     Merrill said he was asked to be a part of the campaign three years to the day his wife’s best friend, Ashleigh Simmons, lost her battle to cancer.
“This campaign was very personal to me,” said Merrill. “We got to see firsthand all the trials and tribulations they had going back and forth to doctors’ appointments and every other thing involved with the fight she had to go through.”
     Merrill was chosen last year for American Cancer Society’s first-ever Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast, joining a prestigious crop of business professionals and community leaders including Abra Taylor, Alexis Williams, Amanda Bray, Amanda Compton-Ortiz, Angela Singletary, Ashley Cuevas Robertson, Bobby Gillon, Christian Hartley, Hunter Easterling, Johanna King, Jourdan Hartshorn, Mary Acklin, Misty Stevenson, Ravin Nettles, Rita Green and Ryan Bradley.

     Spotlight participants for 2021 included VP of Operations Kevin Fish of Half Shell Oyster House and Gulf Coast Restaurant Group, a main campaign sponsor; Marketing Director Kelsey Griffin; and honoree Ryan Bradley of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United which focuses on oyster management and restoration – a combined effort in the Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast campaign. Other sponsors for 2021 are Chandeleur Island Brewing Company, Knight Abbey Nonprofit Center, City of Gulfport, Keesler Federal Credit Union, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, BancorpSouth, Mississippi Power, Gulport Nissan, IP Casino Resort & Spa, Sparklight, WLOX, iHeart Radio, South Mississippi Living Magazine, and Seaside Social News.
     Those leading the campaign were strategic in their selections of participants determined to raise funds and awareness to support the American Cancer Society’s fight to end cancer and are grateful for such an amazing turnout in its kick-off year.
     “Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast 2021 was a huge success,” said Lawanda Jones, Senior Development Manager of the American Cancer Society on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  “We brought together 17 business professionals that raised thousands for the transportation grant program. These funds are granted to local health facilities across the state to assist them with their transportation needs to ensure cancer patients can get to treatments.”
     Jones headed up last year’s inaugural campaign alongside 2021 Co-Chairs Nicole Martz and Annie Sanders. And she is set to lead this year’s 2022 Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast alongside Merrill, who has been named its event chair. Other 2021 honorees such as Christian Hartley, Angela Singletary, Mary Acklin and Jourdan Hartshorn, as well as participant Annie Sanders, are also back to continue their support of the campaign joining this year’s committee, a.k.a “the dream team.” Other committee members this year include Gina Prater, Christy Bridges, and Adrianne Hungerford.

     The campaign challenges each honoree to compete to be the top fundraiser among their peers by the end of the campaign. From April to June, honorees host a series of digital and traditional fundraisers to support their individual campaigns. They are also allowed to partner with other honorees in joint fundraisers for an even bigger return.
     The American Cancer Society supports Mississippi cancer patients by offering counseling services, resources after a diagnosis, rides to treatment and housing for out-of-town patients at its Hope Lodge.
Campaigns like Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast have made it possible for the American Cancer Society to:

• Invest $395 million in research grants, with many projects focused on eliminating health disparities, prevention and early detection, and access to care for marginalized communities.
• Assist 120 million people through cancer.org with the latest information to navigate treatment challenges created by the pandemic, the importance of safely resuming cancer screenings, and other cancer-related information needed to make informed decisions.
• Connect 500,000 callers with a cancer information specialist at our 24/7 helpline, providing information and support when and where it’s needed most.
• Provide 135,000 rides through the Road to Recovery program, getting patients to medical appointments and treatments they might have otherwise missed.

     This year’s 2022 Shucker Honorees are charged with raising $125,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Mississippi Community Transportation Grant Program. They are Aloysius “Lo” Ballard, Brian Bates, Bailey Braswell, Nicholas Bosco, Natalie Bonner, Joshua Borden, Shundral Cole, Jason Edwards, Sheila Farr, Amanda Gray, Scarlett Rogers Green, Kimberly Livingston, Samantha Loomis, Jeffrey Mayeux, Anthony McCorvey, Erin Rosetti, Leanna Saucier, Matt Stebly, Jolan Wedgeworth, and Keith Williams, Jr.
     Each honoree was announced during a Meet the Shuckers event on March 10, 2022, at Centennial Plaza in Gulfport. The 2^nd Annual Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast will take place on April 28, 2022, at Fishbone Alley in Gulfport. The evening will feature the campaign’s 20 honorees along with oysters, coastal cuisines, dancing, live entertainment and more. Event tickets are on sale now for $75 general admission and $100 per patron. To purchase tickets and for more information and updates on how to support the campaign, follow Shuck Cancer on Facebook @shuckcancergulfcoast, or email LaWanda Jones at lawanda.jones@cancer.org.

On the cover: Shuck Cancer Gulf Coast Honoree Cale Merrill was named 2021’s Gulf Coast Shucker of the Year for raising the most money among his counterparts to help fund the American Cancer Society’s Mississippi Transportation Grant that ensures patients get to and from medical facilities for treatment.

Amanda Compton-Ortiz

Amanda Compton-Ortiz holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. She relocated from North Mississippi to Long Beach in October 2016. Amanda has worked for more than 20 years in journalism, leading and reporting for various community news publications throughout the state. She has received numerous awards for her editorial contributions from the Mississippi Press Association and placed among 224 universities competing across the United States and Canada for Reach, a personally created magazine for women.