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Support Simmons Cancer Institute with Ladies Night Out
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Love fashion? Love to shop? Put your ‘retail therapy’ to work to help fight cancer.
Join Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine and SCHEELS from 7 to 9 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6 for a free fashion show, great prizes and a fantastic cause, the fight against cancer. The event will take place at SCHEELS, 3801 S. MacArthur in Springfield.
“These events provide a fun, comfortable environment to spotlight breast cancer awareness and show how it affects the residents of central Illinois. With this being a ‘fashion/shopping’ event, it may expose people to breast cancer information who may not have otherwise searched it out or had it presented to them,” said Lisa Woods, a SCHEELS employee who is a five-year breast cancer survivor.
“Most people are aware of breast cancer at this point, but the more it is brought to the forefront, the more it brings realization that it affects people that you know and that everyone needs to be vigilant about it,” she added.
SCHEELS will donate $10 to Simmons Cancer Institute for every person who attends the event. Seating is limited to the first 200 guests. The first 50 attendees will receive a free $10 gift card, with additional higher-dollar prizes continuing throughout the event. Every dollar donated to Simmons Cancer Institute stays in our region.
Woods, who suggested to her employer that they work with Simmons Cancer Institute for the event, said she “was thrilled last year when we started this special event heightens awareness on breast cancer and benefits a local breast cancer organization.”
More than $2,000 in prizes from vendors will be given away. At 8:15 p.m., a balloon drop will include a $500 SCHEELS gift card.
“Any opportunity to provide prevention information is a good thing,” said Swati Pathak, MD, acting director of the Breast Center at - SIU Medicine. “While most of us hear the term breast cancer often, we have an opportunity through this event to educate the community about the signs and symptoms of the disease, and the great care available with our cancer specialists at SIU Medicine.”
Woods, who received a breast cancer diagnosis at age 45, said “Being the seventh woman in my family to be diagnosed, I was not surprised. After my mom was diagnosed for the second time, I began having yearly mammograms. I was 26 and had just had my first child when I had my first mammogram.”
“These types of partnerships are essential for a strong community,” Woods said. “Those who are not involved with cancer in some form may not have much knowledge of Simmons and the services it provides. Bringing real patients from SIU Medicine and its information to a retail environment, for example, extends its reach – which is the goal of the event.”
Light refreshments, free massages, a self-defense seminar and a tutorial on facials will all be available. Sonya Jones, author and contestant from the Biggest Loser, is also a special guest at the event.
The mission of Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine is to serve the people of central and southern Illinois by addressing their present and future cancer care needs through medical education, biomedical research, patient care and community service.
