At a time when blackberries are no longer edible, clotheslines are out of fashion, and public adoration is focused on Generation X, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation takes a fresh approach and celebrates women over 50 years of age who have contributed so much to local communities during the 20th century and continue to make a difference in the 21st.
“We’d been looking for a vehicle to link the corporate community with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation — to get the parties together to have them understand what it is we do,” explains Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CEO Nancy Margeson. “And we’d always heard complaints about how there are 20 Over 20 events and 40 Over 40 events, but nothing to celebrate the women who have been at it for even longer.
“The 50 Over 50 event was created to educate — to make others aware of what we’re doing and to share our vision, which is a future without breast cancer. And it’s also meant as an opportunity to celebrate the lives of women who make such a difference.”
Who better to join in this celebration than individuals and organizations that have supported and benefited from the efforts of these women?
Join the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in celebrating and honouring Atlantic Canadian women at the inaugural 50 Over 50 on May 29 at the Cunard Centre. Celebrity emcee Bill Carr will host an evening that includes a fabulous dinner created by RCR Catering, music by the Rhapsody Quintet, a “Perfectly Pink” live auction and an inspiring keynote speaker, Jerri Nielsen.
Nielsen, a breast-cancer survivor, is the author of Icebound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle For Survival At The South Pole. She is a physician whose personal experience in 1999 captivated world attention. During a year as the only medical officer in Antarctica, she discovered a tumour in her breast. By combining e-mail instructions, improvised equipment, air-dropped supplies and incredible friends, Nielsen performed a biopsy, diagnosed her cancer and began chemotherapy to ensure her survival while waiting out the Antarctic winter.
- For more on the 50 Over 50 gala, visit www.cbcf.org/atlantic .
