A Night of Wine & Roses

Posted

The CancerKare Fund held its second annual Night of Wine & Roses fundraising event on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Nocatee Welcome Center.

Established by Ponte Vedra residents Bill and Linda Adams to support breast cancer patients with treatment costs, the charity raised approximately $9,000 at the event, which once again benefitted The Donna Foundation. The Adamses created the CancerKare Fund following Linda’s own battle with breast cancer to help other women and men affected by the disease.

For the second consecutive year, the CancerKare Fund presented two awards: the “Breasty” award, which acknowledges individuals who contribute to the fight against breast cancer, and the “Fight for Life” award for a breast cancer warrior. Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery’s Dr. Brett Snyder — who performed Linda’s reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy and guided her through aftercare, surgery and recovery — presented this year’s “Breasty” award after winning it himself last year. The 2018 winner was Dr. Christine Routhier, a surgeon at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine.

Alyson Kidder won the 2018 “Fight for Life” award for her courageous and ongoing fight with cancer. Diagnosed in 2016 with stage 4 breast cancer, she has undergone a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and is currently on oral medications to provide an increase in her progression free survival rate. Charles Beverly the son of 2017 award winner Zettie Beverly accepted the award on behalf of Kidder, who was unable to attend the event.  

In addition to these awards, Donna Deegan addressed the event attendees, as well as Bill Schmidt, who lost his wife Apryle to cancer in 2015. Since her death, the Apryle Showers Foundation has been created to support people ages 30-55 currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Check out www.apryleshowers.org for more information. Representatives from Pink Up The Pace also addressed the audience.

Event attendees enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a lottery for a $100,000 Jaguar F-Type British limited-edition car courtesy of Fields Auto Group, as well as an auction and silent auction that included several luxurious and exciting trips and items. Food and drink was provided by Chef Tony of Publix Aprons Cooking School, Dick’s Wings and Grill, Dunkin’ Donuts, Claude’s Chocolate and wine from Coastal Wine Market & Tasting Room. Flowers from Kuhn Flowers adorned the venue, and Robby & Felix provided entertainment for the night.

“Once again, we appreciate all of the sponsor and participant support,” said Bill Adams. “We raised twice as much money this year as we did with our inaugural event last year, and we hope it continues to grow every year.”

Visit cancerkarefund.org to learn more about the CancerKare Fund.