Lace up for a ‘ghoulish’ good cause

The Gift of Life champions the spirit of survivorship. For more than two decades, the program has supported many in Southeast Texas and will continue to do so. As a regional community event celebrating life, courage and camaraderie, the 12th annual Julie Richardson Procter 5K Ribbon Run Gift of Life Monster Dash will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, in downtown at the Beaumont Civic Center from 8 a.m. to noon.

Put on your “spooky” costumes and grab your treat bags to help say “boo” to breast and ovarian cancer.

The returning “Hocus Pocus” event chairs include Jo Bienvenu, Gerry Edwards, Kathleen Hambright, Carol Hearn and Maureen Winchell. This year, the Ribbon Run will feature a 5K Trick or Treat Route, Pink n’ Teal Pumpkin Patch, costume contest as well as the Wizard of Wellness Village, which will offer “enchanting” booths filled with “spellbinding” goodies and information.

Ribbon Run registration is now open at golribbonrun.org or by calling (409) 833-3663. Participants can register for $35 and begin fundraising for the organization. Breast and ovarian cancer survivors are free, as well as children 6 years old and younger.

“We are proud to support Gift of Life’s faBOOlous event for a ghoulish good cause,” said the co-chairs. “Please register today and help us raise funds to say ‘boo’ to breast and ovarian cancer!”

The 5K Ribbon Run unites the community in hope and love while also raising essential proceeds for the Gift of Life Women’s Health and Wellness initiatives that fight breast and ovarian cancer in Southeast Texas. The event is generously underwritten by presenting sponsors Robin Dauphin, Optimus Steel, Provost Umphrey Law Firm and Quality Mat Company along with title sponsors H-E-B and Jason’s Deli.

The occasion also provides an opportunity for Gift of Life to applaud eight “Angels Among Us Honorees,” exceptional women commended for their outstanding community service in Southeast Texas. This year’s honorees are Mellie Bevilacqua, Foundation For Southeast Texas Executive Director; Nakisha Burns, Exxonmobil Public and Government Affairs Manager; Georgine Guillory, Port of Beaumont Commissioner; Elaine Henderson, Community Activist; Kelly Prasser, Sempra Infrastructure Senior Manager of External Affairs; Shelley Tortorice, Community Activist; Shelly Vitanza, BASF Community & Government Affairs Manager; and Jodie Wood, RN, Community Activist.

Named for Procter, a beloved Gift of Life board member and local attorney who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2011 at the young age of 51, the Ribbon Run raises funds for Gift of Life’s women’s health program, which has heightened awareness and provided information to thousands of Southeast Texans about ovarian and breast cancer, in addition to having helped extend the lives of nearly 275 women (throughout seven Southeast Texas counties) who were diagnosed with breast cancer through the program’s free preventative screenings and diagnostic tests and navigated through treatment and healing.

The Julie Rogers “Gift of Life” Program was established in Beaumont in 1994 by Rogers as a tribute to her mother, Julie (a breast cancer survivor), who passed away in 1998 following complications from a stroke and heart attack. Originally, the program was created to only provide free mammograms for medically underserved women. However, over time the organization’s services have multiplied in response to the needs of the region. Today, it is one of the largest cancer screening initiatives of its kind in Texas.

Their mission is to provide Southeast Texans extensive educational outreach that focuses on breast, prostate, testicular, ovarian, and other gynecological cancers; free mammograms and prostate cancer screenings with access to follow-up treatment for medically underserved women and men; and a tobacco prevention program, which targets both adults and children.

Cancer can happen, but you can be ready. Contact the Gift of Life at (409) 833-3663 or visit giftoflibmt.org to learn more about the nonprofit’s local efforts, to register for cancer screening assistance, or to volunteer.

-Chad Cooper, Entertainment Editor