Pictured (l-r): Kimberley Jennings, VBCF Board President; 2022 More Than A Pink Ribbon Award Winners: White’s Travel Center, Raphine, VA – Community Champion; The Honorable Delores L. McQuinn – Legislative Impact; Donna Moore Wilson, MSN, RN, CBCN – Sherry Kohlenberg Achievement in Health Care; Katy Sawyer, VBCF Executive Director
On Friday, September 30th, VBCF kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month at our 3rd Annual More than a Pink Ribbon Awards luncheon held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. We were fortunate to have Reba Hollingsworth from WTVR, CBS-6 return again this year as our wonderful emcee.
We are thankful for the support of our generous sponsors who made the 2022 Awards possible. Virginia Cancer Institute & Kroger (Champion Sponsors); Virginia Radiation Oncology Associates (Ambassador Sponsor); Genentech, Gilead, Merck; Myriad; Pfizer; and VA Academy of PAs (Friends).
We were honored to present the Legislative Impact Award to The Honorable Delores L. McQuinn, the Community Champion Award to White’s Travel Center, and the Sherry Kohlenberg Achievement in Healthcare Award to Donna Moore Wilson, MSN, RN, CBCN.
Delegate Delores. L. McQuinn (70th) has been a trailblazer in local and statewide politics, serving on the Richmond City School Board, the Richmond City Council, and since 2009, as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. McQuinn, a 30-year breast cancer survivor, is a champion for the importance of cancer screenings for all Virginians. She led the inaugural Cancer Caucus in the Commonwealth of Virginia and has served as the Honorary Chair of the National Sisters Network and the Patient Advocate Foundation – national breast cancer survivor and assistance organizations.
In the General Assembly, Delegate McQuinn sponsored House Joint Resolutions to raise awareness of breast cancer early detection and to declare November as Metastatic Breast Cancer Month. During the most recent 2022 General Assembly session, she worked with VBCF to patron a bill that would have eliminated expensive out-of-pocket costs for patients when receiving follow-up diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, or MRIs.
In her role as a mentor for cancer survivors, Delegate McQuinn takes great delight in frequently encouraging them with words of consolation and prayer. She is an ordained minister and assistant pastor at her home church, New Bridge Baptist. She is an international speaker, an exquisite orator, a critical thinker, a change maker, a progressive policy advocate, a Christian disciple and Faith leader, a cancer and CoViD-19 survivor, a wife, mother, PROUD grandmother, sister, and friend. Delegate McQuinn is a dedicated leader and we are grateful to have her on our side!
“For the sake of my daughter and granddaughter who are here today, it is so important for organizations like VBCF to continue to educate on the importance of screening and early detection.”
Delegate Delores. L. McQuinn
White’s Travel Center, Raphine, VA
White’s is the east coast’s largest travel center and has been hosting “White’s Goes Pink” each October since 2016. This grassroots fundraiser is led by the employees who host a bake sale and T-shirt sales and provide VBCF’s educational materials. In 2017, they began their relationship with VBCF and, since then, have donated 100% of their proceeds to our mission work.
White’s partners with the University of Virginia Health System to bring their Mobile Mammography Van to the Center during White’s Goes Pink. In 2018, one of White’s employees, Mellyora Mason, visited the mammography coach and found out she had breast cancer a week later. Fortunately, her breast cancer was caught early, and her treatment was successful, and she is doing well today. “White’s Goes Pink” is a powerful example of why community events matter and why early detection is vital.
In accepting the award on behalf of the White’s Travel Center team, Mellyora thanked everyone at the luncheon – including medical providers, nurse navigators, community groups, and sponsors- for continuing their work to end breast cancer.
“I thank you for your passion and dedication. I’m reminded of a quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Mellyora Mason
Donna Moore Wilson, MSN, RN, CBCN is a High-Risk Breast Nurse Navigator with the Sarah Cannon Institute at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. She is the co-founder and current chair of the Virginia Cancer Patient Navigator Network (VACPNN), which provides education and networking to oncology navigators across Virginia.
Donna has over 23 years of experience in oncology and has practiced as a nurse navigator since 2007. She has been instrumental in developing navigation programs within the local health systems where she has worked. So many breast cancer patients have benefitted from having a nurse navigator as part of their treatment team. We honor Donna’s service and work to strengthen navigators’ role as advocates, educators, and facilitators for patients and their families.
“I love what I do – looking for barriers and educating patients so they can get the best treatment possible. My “superpower” is challenging the healthcare team to do the right thing for the patient. That patient is a person, not just a patient.”
Donna Moore Wilson, MSN, RN, CBCN
Photos by Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and donations from day-of-event attendees, we raised more than $40,000 to assist Virginians affected by breast cancer – from symptoms to survivorship.
