News & Stories
Cooper Foundation’s Seventh Annual Pink Roses Teal Magnolias Brunch Raises $750,000 for Breast, Gynecologic Cancer Research, Care at MD Anderson Cooper
CAMDEN, N.J.— Susan Bass Levin, President and CEO of The Cooper Foundation, announced today that the Seventh Annual Pink Roses Teal Magnolias Brunch raised $750,000 for breast and gynecologic cancer research and clinical programs at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
“At MD Anderson Cooper, we have excellent doctors and medical staff providing the most advanced cancer care right here in South Jersey,” said Levin. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Pink Roses Teal Magnolias is the largest fundraising event for breast and gynecologic cancer in the region, and every dollar we raise helps patients and their families in our local community.”
More than 900 women attended this year’s brunch held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, N.J. The event honored Drs. A. Leilani Fahey, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon; Sun Yong (Sunny) Lee, Breast Cancer Surgeon, and Robin Wilson-Smith, Gynecologic Oncologist, and Lead Surgical Advanced Practice Nurse Helen Nichter, with the Pink and Teal Hero Award for their outstanding contributions to cancer care and treatment. (Bios of the honorees are included below.)
“There are more than 2.8 million breast and gynecologic cancer survivors in the United States today, but we still have work to do,” said Generosa Grana, MD, Executive Director of MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. “The support MD Anderson Cooper receives through The Cooper Foundation and Pink Roses Teal Magnolias is critical to funding research, enhancing care and finding a cure.”
This year’s fundraising event included a Survivors Parade to recognize all cancer survivors in attendance, a health fair, raffles, a silent auction and a live quilt auction. The event also featured inspiring stories from four cancer survivors Kevin Becica, Cherry Hill; Maria Henley, Vineland; Fran Lunsford, Haddonfield, and Jeanne Smith, Medford.
Since the first brunch in 2010, fundraising for Pink Roses Teal Magnolias has totaled
$3.75 million. Funds have been used to support research; new technology; the Patient In Need Fund; the Survivorship Program, and the Dr. Diane Barton Complementary Medicine program, including the Tea Cart, in which employees volunteer to serve snacks to patients and their families during chemotherapy.
“Community support for MD Anderson Cooper has been tremendous,” said George E. Norcross, III, Chairman of Cooper University Health Care. “Cancer touches each and every one of us, and as MD Anderson Cooper continues to grow and expand, we further our commitment to fighting the disease and ensuring patients and their families have access to comprehensive cancer care close to home.”
The brunch was co-chaired by community members Donna Forman, Cherry Hill; Janet Knowles, Moorestown; Josephine McGinness, Mount Laurel; Carolyn Shelby, Westampton and Mary Ann Todd, Marlton, along with MD Anderson Cooper leaders Generosa Grana, MD, Kristin Brill MD, Francis Spitz, MD, David Warshal, MD and Senior Vice President Christine Winn.