News & Stories
Cooper Foundation’s Third Annual Pink Roses Teal Magnolias Brunch Raises $475,000
Pink and Teal Hero Awards Presented to Three Cooper Champions
Click here to view photos from the event.
CAMDEN, N.J.— The President and CEO of the Cooper Foundation, Susan Bass Levin, today announced that the Third Annual Pink Roses Teal Magnolias Brunch raised $475,000 for breast and gynecological cancer research and clinical programs at Cooper Cancer Institute.
“There are more than 2.9 million breast and gynecological cancer survivors alive in the United States today thanks in large part to earlier detection and improved medical treatment,” said Levin. “Support for the Cooper Cancer Institute enables patients to find the best cancer care, close to home so they can live longer and healthier lives.”
More than 800 women – and more than a “few good men” – attended the brunch, which was held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, N.J. and honored Cooper doctors James Aikins, Jr., M.D., of Robbinsville, and Robert Somer, M.D., of Voorhees, and Lead Nurse Navigator Ann Steffney, R.N., of West Deptford.
“Thank you to the Cooper Foundation for its commitment to the Cooper Cancer Institute and for bringing us all together for this amazing day,” said Aikins, of the Division of Gynecology Oncology at CCI. “Through events like this we raise support for new cancer treatments and programs and raise awareness about the importance of screening and detection.”
Aikins, Somer, and Steffney received the Pink and Teal Hero Award for their outstanding contributions to cancer care and the Cooper Cancer Institute.
“My patients – not me – are the real heroes here,” said Somer, of the Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology at CCI. “The heroism I witness each and every day from my patients and their families is an inspiration for all of us.”
In addition to the Pink and Teal Hero Awards, the Pink Roses Teal Magnolias Brunch featured personal stories from cancer survivors and included a “Survivors Parade” to recognize all cancer survivors in attendance. Guests also participated in a health fair, silent auction and raffle.
“I am honored to be part of the Pink Roses Teal Magnolias brunch,” said Steffney, Lead Nurse Navigator/Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator at CCI. “The women I treat are some of the strongest and most courageous people I know, and helping them get through this devastating disease is a privilege.”
The brunch was co-chaired by Joan S. Davis, vice chairwoman of Cooper University Hospital Board of Trustees, Donna Forman of Cherry Hill, Dara Marcozzi of Haddon Heights, Janet Knowles of Moorestown and Sandee Vogelson of Cherry Hill– all cancer survivors.
About Cooper Cancer Institute
Within Cooper Cancer Institute teams of doctors – medical and gynecologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons and nurses – work together to provide cancer patients with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies available, access to groundbreaking clinical trials and dynamic patient-physician relationships. A full complement of support services including nutrition counseling, genetic testing and counseling, social work services, physical rehabilitation, complementary medicine therapies and behavioral health support provide complete care for patients. Cooper Cancer Institute is a Major Clinical Research Affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cooper Cancer Institute is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program.