Healthy Living Newsletter
"Little Black Dress" Success!
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| The successful “Little Black Dress” fundraiser was planned by members of the Betty Kearns family (from top to bottom) Carolyn Bonacci, Debbie Reynolds, Jackie Mackensen and Maureen MacCallum, who all donned their little black dresses for this photo taken at the Kearns Agency in Port Huron. |
As families throughout the area look to celebrate Mother’s Day in May, one family matriarch deserves special recognition as the focus of a little fundraiser that took on big success.
In mid-February, members of the Kearns family gathered to discuss an idea about honoring their family matriarch Betty Kearns, who had passed away in September 2006.
“I had been reminiscing about Mom with a friend,” explains Carolyn Bonacci of Port Huron, “we had talked about Mom and Dad and how they would go dancing every week or so, and how Mom always wore a little black dress. ‘Every woman should have a least one little black dress,’ Mom would say.
“I took the idea to my daughter and sisters and wanted to know what they thought about honoring Mom by hosting a fund-raiser to provide local support to fight breast cancer,” Carolyn continues. “The idea took hold and less than a month later more than 300 women attended the first Betty Kearns Little Black Dress Society Cocktail Party.”
“We decided to use the event as a fundraiser to benefit Mercy Hospital and its work in providing digital mammography to the community,” she says. “My Mom was treated for breast cancer at the Mercy Regional Cancer Center, and we wanted the money raised to support local efforts.”
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| Little Black Dress Society Cocktail Party was held in memory of Betty Kearns: February 10, 1922 — September 13, 2006 |
As a result of their work and support from the community, Mercy Hospital Foundation was presented with a check for $3,000. “This gift was an outstanding gesture in honor of an outstanding woman,” comments Homeira McDonald, MD, a local pathologist and the Chair of the Mercy Hospital Foundation. “What a beautiful way to honor a loved one.”
Dr. McDonald, who attended the event, continues, “It was truly a lovely evening and a terrific gathering of women of all ages. It was great to see so many women in support of other women. The funds were very much appreciated as Mercy works to raise $500,000 to purchase digital mammography to provide this important breast cancer screening for women in the community.”
Mercy Hospital Foundation will work on a capital campaign to raise the funding necessary to purchase two digital mammography machines. One will be located in the Women’s Health Center at Mercy Hospital; and the other will be available to women in the northern part of St. Clair County and southern Sanilac County at the Mercy Health Center in Fort Gratiot Township.
Digital mammography was first approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000. The process uses digital or computerized images instead of film X-rays to screen for breast cancer, reports the American Cancer Society.
While mammography remains the best screening method available, it is not infallible. The American Cancer Society reports that mammograms miss five percent to 17 percent of cancers, quite a high percentage considering an estimated 25 million women per year get mammograms.
“The real advantage of the new technology is that radiologists will be able to manipulate the images,” continues Dr. McDonald. “With digital images, you can zoom in, magnify, change the contrast of the image or view it in slices. Although traditional mammography using film is still an important diagnostic tool, digital mammography will be very useful for women with dense breast tissue, which includes about 30 percent of the population.
“Mercy Hospital Foundation will be working throughout the year to raise the funds necessary to purchase this important equipment and further enhance the outstanding cancer services available through the Mercy Regional Cancer Center,” concludes Dr. McDonald. “It is through community support such as this terrific event, that we are certain to meet our goals.”
In honor of their mother, the Kearns family plans to host the event again next year. “We were just overwhelmed with the response, and everyone wants to keep the momentum of honoring Mom going,” concludes Carolyn.
For more information on how you can become a supporter of Mercy’s efforts to provide digital mammography, please call the Mercy Hospital Foundation at (810) 985-1675.
For more information, visit the Mercy Regional Cancer Center section of this website. |
