Barbara Hemmeke was just looking for a quick bite to eat after checking into a hotel after several hours on the road returning from a Florida vacation. What the Grant, Michigan cancer survivor found was a fundraiser celebrating cancer survivors.

City of Athens team captain Holly Hollman said this was not the first time a survivor from another state showed up at the April 29 fundraiser. Two years ago, a Minnesota couple — the wife a cancer survivor — ended up at Applebee’s on Celebrity Waiters night on the couple’s way home from the beach.

“We’re friends now on Facebook, and stay in touch,” Hollman said. “It goes to show you cancer touches too many, but so does our fight.”

Hemmeke, who was diagnosed in 2007, visited with the servers, sharing that she was seven years cancer free.

“We’re going to try to make it to Athens again next year for this event,” she said.

The City of Athens annual Relay for Life Celebrity Waiters night at Applebee’s raised a total of $5,368, the most the event has raised.

University of Alabama student and celebrity waiter Emma Prier of Ardmore, Tennessee, attributed the record numbers to a friendly challenge she had made to Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks.

“The trash talking worked,” Prier said.

Prier was one of eight Celebrity Waiters who competed for tips. Prier was excited about the total, but her main goal was to beat Marks in memory of her “Maw Maw,” Kathy Cothren, a former Celebrity Waiter who beat breast cancer, but died from colon cancer.

Prier raised $1,023.57 for the American Cancer Society. Marks raised $850.

“That’s the great thing about issuing challenges to other waiters,” Marks said, “They always step up to beat me and help our overall mission, which is to raise money to fight cancer.”

The top earners, however, were the ladies in pink. Kay Burlingame and Jackie Jackson teamed up to compete in memory of Jackie’s daughter, Staley Jackson, who died at age 36. Since her daughter loved horses, the ladies work pink cowboy hats. They raised $1,674 in tips.

“We did it for Staley,” Jackson said. “People donated for Staley.”

The Applebee’s staff cheered along with the Celebrity Waiters and Relay team members when the total was shared. One of the Applebee’s staff members said she was a young girl when she lost her mother to ovarian cancer, and this event and Relay for Life are close to her heart. Applebee’s staff wore purple, the Relay awareness color, and decorated a photo station for attendees.

“Applebee’s and its staff are amazing to work with, especially with the volume of customers this event brings in,” Hollman said.

Bringing in the remainder of the tips to help the team exceed its goal were Athens Florist owner Matthew Jimmerson, Athens Firefighter Brinten Barclay, Athens High Football Coach Cody Gross and Athens Police Officer Michael Stainbrook, who was dressed as Batman to the delight of several diners.