Dunwoody resident Ray Clauser’s license plate stands out from the pack. It is a mobile message making its viewers aware of the fight to cure prostate cancer.

The Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition, of which Clauser is a member and serves as secretary, spent more than two years trying to get specialty license plates in the state of Georgia promoting prostate cancer awareness. In April, the state approved the plates that are illustrated with a blue cancer ribbon and the message “cure prostate cancer.”

The plates have been available for purchase for about two months, Clauser said, and since then he and his fellow coalition members have been encouraging others to purchase them. For every plate that is purchased, $22 goes back to the coalition to offer free prostate cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured men. As sales increase, some of the funds coming back to the coalition will also go towards prostate cancer research at Georgia hospitals and universities, Clauser added.

The purpose of the specialty plate falls in line with the coalition’s mission.

“Our major objective is awareness of prostate cancer and to get men tested,” he said. “If you can get them tested or screened, there’s a much better chance of getting them cured.”

Clauser, like the majority of those in the coalition, is a prostate cancer survivor. He was diagnosed in 1994.

Clauser recommends men to start getting screened for prostate cancer around age 40.

“The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes [to fight the cancer],” he explained.

Driving around town, Clauser has had people stop him and comment on his license plate.

“When you come up to a stop light in back of another car, a lot of times you look at the license plate,” he said. “It’s right there. So the more license plates we can get sold, the more of those license plates that people will see.”

He said it has taken considerable effort to spread the word about the new specialty plates but the feedback from the public has been positive.

To purchase the plate:
Specialty plates can be purchased at county tag offices. Contact Frank Catroneo at (770) 619-0710 to save $25 towards the purchase of the plate.