Events

A very warm thank you to all who donated, fundraised and came out to hike or run to support Zero Breast Cancer in the 9^th Annual Dipsea Hike/Run Lite 2011! This was one of our biggest years ever, hosting over 400 participants and we raised over our goal of $20,000!

To view a list of our Dipsea Hike/Run Lite sponsors, please CLICK HERE

Check out our pictures on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150306799491267.335606.272397616266&type=1

Check back with us in a few weeks for the 2012 Dipsea Hike/Run Lite date!

 

The 12^th Annual Honor Thy Healer Awards: May 5, 2011

Thank you to our sponsors, guests and volunteers, who helped make this year's Honor Thy Healer Awards Program a success!!

 

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11^th Annual Honor Thy Healer Awards

This year's Honor Thy Healer ceremony was a great success! Click the link below to read about our honorees and watch the video presentations!

Breast Cancer Prevention Forum for Younger Women
Saturday, February 7, 2009
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Carr Auditorium at San Francisco General Hospital

Hosted by Zero Breast Cancer, and UCSF-SFGH Avon Comprehensive Breast Care Program, and the Marin County Board of Supervisors

Bay Area women, public health leaders, researchers, policymakers and breast cancer advocates participated in an informative Saturday morning forum specifically focused on breast cancer prevention issues for women under the age of 40.

Presentations and audience dialogue included updates on incidence, genetic risk assessment, diagnostic screening, treatment, and practical tips for reducing breast cancer risk and accessing medical coverage for breast health and breast cancer services.

To visit the official Forum webpage, please click:

Breast Cancer Prevention Community Education Forum for Younger Women

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Honor Thy Healer 2010

The eleventh annual Honor Thy Healer awards celebration was held on Thursday, May 6, 2010. The celebration honored healthcare professionals and special individuals who have played pivotal roles in helping people in their experiences with breast cancer.

Honoree Videos
The honoree videos played at the event are located at the end of each honoree's bio paragraph.

Honorary Chair

It was our privilege to welcome back Cheryl Jennings as the 2010 Honorary Chair.

Ms. Jennings is weekday co-anchor of ABC7 News at 11:00 am, anchors the evening news at 5:00 pm daily and 6:00 pm on Fridays. She also files special assignment news reports and is the host of the Emmy Award winning community affairs program, Beyond the Headlines. Cheryl was selected by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Northern California Chapter, for the 2009 Governor's Award for truly outstanding and unique accomplishments.

Cheryl Jennings is a pioneer in reporting on children's issues, women's rights and domestic violence and has been recognized locally and nationally for her active involvement. She is the co-founder of "Roots of Peace, Pennies for Peace Children's Program" in Marin County. In addition to raising funds to rid Afghanistan's schools, playgrounds and soccer fields of land mines, the Roots of Peace Children's Penny Program is also building a school in Afghanistan which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2010.

Cheryl Jennings is a multiple Emmy winning reporter and her peers in broadcast journalism have recognized Cheryl throughout her professional career. She was inducted into the San Francisco/Northern California National Television Academy's prestigious "Silver Circle" for 25 years of service, dedication and contributions to the communications industry and the Bay Area community. Cheryl's industry accolades include awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT). Cheryl is a two-time recipient of the AWRT's Gracie Allen Award, which honors "superior quality and stellar portrayal of the changing roles and concerns of women." She has been inducted into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame.

Zero Breast Cancer wishes to thank Cheryl Jennings for her friendship, generosity and support of our organization.

The Healing Professional Honorees

The 2010 Healing Professional award is presented jointly to the Oncology Nursing Team at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center and the Radiation Therapists at Marin Cancer Institute at Marin General Hospital. These professional teams' expert and compassionate treatment of breast cancer patients is instrumental in the healing process.

Oncology Nursing Team at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center
The Kaiser Permanente Oncology nurses are an experienced, talented and caring group of ten nurses, many of whom have worked together in the infusion center for years. They are a significant part of the breast cancer team whose contributions are vital to the outcome of the patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

The Kaiser Oncology nurses are: charge nurse Kathleen Hunter, RN; Ruthann Lovetang, RN; Janet Ryvlin, RN; Jolize Gronbeck, RN; Suzie Swick-Horowitz, RN; Beth Smylie, RN; Kathy Wright, RN; Susan Jones, RN; Kurtsie McEntire, RN and Bob Giebert, RN.

The nurses create a respectful, supportive and safe environment to receive chemotherapy treatments. They put the patients at ease, get to know them personally and build a sense of trust. This team of highly skilled nurses provides a sense of professionalism and calm that helps the patients face whatever they are going through. They are as well loved by the patients and their families as they are highly valued by staff and physicians at Kaiser. They are the heart and soul of the oncology treatment team.

Zero Breast Cancer is pleased to present the 2010 Healing Professional award to the Oncology Nursing Team of Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center.

Radiation Therapists of Marin Cancer Institute at Marin General Hospital
The Radiation Therapists of Marin Cancer Institute at Marin General Hospital have touched the lives of generations of Marin County breast cancer patients. With tremendous expertise, they deliver the most advanced radiation treatments while attending to their patients' emotional and physical needs. They strive to ease their patients' anxieties with their skill, empathy and warmth.

The Marin Cancer Institute at Marin General Hospital's Radiation Therapists are: chief therapist Alice Dunning, RT; Joe Hopkins, RT; Eileen Lennon, RT; Joana Nemanich, RT; Jane Wakayama, RT; Kirk Hansen, RT; Anna Webb, RT; Josie Strain, RT; and Mary Jo Barie, RT.

The radiation therapists epitomize the concept of a healer. They strive to make the patient as comfortable as possible, create an atmosphere that is professional and caring and maintain a sense of calm. They ensure that the treatment prescribed by the radiation oncologists is delivered appropriately while providing the emotional support on a daily basis that helps the patient through the process.

Zero Breast Cancer is pleased to present the 2010 Healing Professional award to the Radiation Therapists of Marin Cancer Institute at Marin General Hospital.

The Shining Star Award

The 2010 Shining Star award is presented to Jackson's Hardware, a generous supporter of the community and a major sponsor of local breast cancer research and advocacy in Marin County.

Jackson's Hardware is known throughout the Bay Area as the place to go for construction projects of all sizes. Its employees are what have always set Jackson's apart, from its founding by H.C. Jackson in San Rafael in 1964 through its recent Wall Street Journal Top Small Workplace Award. Realizing that the success of his business was tied to his employees, Mr. Jackson established a pension and profit sharing plan in the early 1960's. Years later, when he was ready to retire, he sold the business to his employees and named Bill Loskutoff as President and CEO.

Today, Jackson's is a 100% employee-owned business with over 60 employees. The commitment to supporting the local community dates back to H.C. Jackson's days and remains an important part of the company's way of doing business today. Jackson's employees give generously to many local organizations, especially youth groups and breast cancer causes. Philanthropy is not a top-down directive at Jackson's - it is a collaborative commitment that all of the associates make to support the local community.

Representing the associates at Jackson's Hardware are: Bill Loskutoff, Anna Buss, Matthew Olson, Carolyn Emge, Steve Hossfeld, Luis Lopez and Armand Quintana.

Jackson's generous commitment of giving back to the community is what sets them apart as a Shining Star. Zero Breast Cancer is grateful to be a major benefactor of financial support from Jackson's and is delighted to recognize them as the 2010 Shining Star.

The Community Breast Cancer Research Award

The 2010 Community Breast Cancer Research Award is presented to Joe Gray, PhD, a distinguished scientist and world-renowned breast cancer researcher whose work in cancer genomics will have profound implications for long-term breast cancer therapies.

Dr. Joe Gray is the Associate Laboratory Director for Life Sciences and Director of the Life Sciences Divison at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is also Adjunct Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and program leader for the Breast Oncology Program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition, he is Principal Investigator of the NCI Bay Area Breast Cancer SPORE and of an NCI Integrative Cancer Biology Program aimed at quantitative analysis of EGFR pathway signaling.

Dr. Gray's expertise is in: 1) molecular analysis technology, and 2) identification of genomic aberrations that contribute to cancer pathophysiology and development of efficient strategies for enhanced marker guided cancer therapy - especially for breast and ovarian cancer. His work is described in more than 375 publications and in 50 US patents.

One of the most significant friendships that Zero Breast Cancer has developed over the years has been with Joe Gray. He was an early proponent of community participation in the research process and a leading supporter of advocate involvement. Over eight years ago, he facilitated ZBC's first Avon Foundation grant, invited ZBC to Chair the Community Outreach and Translation Core of the Bay Area Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center and most recently, has included Zero Breast Cancer in his Stand Up to Cancer grant.

The award is given to an individual who actively supports community and advocate participation in breast cancer research. Zero Breast Cancer is proud to recognize Dr. Joe Gray as this year's Community Breast Cancer Researcher.

The Francine Levien Activist Award

Pam Marcus and Daren Joy of Lifefactory, a Sausalito-based company that produces non-toxic glass baby and adult products, are the recipients of the 2010 Francine Levien Activist award.

Lifefactory was founded by Pam Marcus and Daren Joy in 2007. Pam is a pediatric feeding specialist and physical therapist who set out to provide parents with a choice of safe, sensible and essential baby products. She partnered with Daren Joy, an award-winning integrative designer, to create Lifefactory. The line of products now available from Lifefactory is free of endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonates. They produce BPA-free baby bottles and other developmentally-appropriate baby products and have recently added an adult beverage bottle to their line.

Bisphenol A is a persistent chemical found in polycarbonate plastic, epoxy resins used to line metal food and drink cans, plastic cling wraps, plastic pipes and some dental sealants. It is widespread in the environment and has been detected in humans. Exposure to BPA usually occurs through diet by eating and drinking from products containing BPA.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA are currently being studied by the Bay Area Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center, a research project in which Zero Breast Cancer participates. While research studies on these chemicals have not found clear effects on human health, concern about these chemicals is growing because they persist in the environment and may act like or interfere with hormones in the body.

Zero Breast Cancer is pleased to present the 2010 Francine Levien Activist award to Pam Marcus and Daren Joy of Lifefactory, Inc, a business that employs research to design and manufacture healthier, alternative products to minimize exposures to potentially harmful chemicals in our environment.

The Healing Partner Award

The 2010 Healing Partner award is presented to Catherine O'Neill, a loyal and committed friend who continues to play a pivotal role for Stephanie Filipowski as she navigates through her breast cancer treatment.

One of 12 siblings, Cathy was raised in Salinas, California. After graduating from college, she began a career on Wall Street as a buy-side trader. Thirty one years later, Cathy is now Managing Director at Eastbourne Capital Management in charge of trading. Cathy credits the influence of her parents, a surgeon and a nurse educator, with instilling in her the sense of responsibility to others. Cathy approaches life from a scientific point of view learned from her father and brothers, who are scientists, using data to solve problems. This approach, combined with Cathy's business acumen, helped to evaluate Stephanie's situation and create an action plan to support her friend's breast cancer treatment process.

Cathy and Stephanie met and became friends ten years ago while attending a program at Duke University. In the beginning their friendship was bicoastal. They traveled to spend time together and maintained close telephone contact. After receiving the phone call from Stephanie about her breast cancer diagnosis, Cathy immediately flew to Boston to be with Stephanie and her husband, Mark. Cathy became her advocate by helping her research the treatment options and by providing companionship, laughter and love. Cathy has been with Stephanie every step of the way. In the three years since the diagnosis, Stephanie and Mark have relocated to the Bay Area.

Cathy does not consider herself a healing partner, but rather a "nagging friend" who asks questions and helps develop strategies to deal with the challenges of breast cancer. Stephanie believes that no one could have provided her with more hope, solace and comfort than Cathy. She is her "miracle."

Zero Breast Cancer is honored to pay tribute to Catherine O'Neill as our 2010 Healing Partner.

 

Dipsea Hike/Run 2010
In honor of Annie Fox

Thank you to all of the community members, businesses, volunteers, sponsors and Planning Committee members whose generosity helped make the 7th annual Dipsea Hike/Run a success!

 

 

Zero Breast Cancer Signature Events

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Zero Breast Cancer is an active partner in the community and works to include as many supporters as possible in the activities of the organization.

Honor Thy Healer

Each year, Zero Breast Cancer hosts an awards ceremony to recognize individuals who play the important role of supporter and healer in breast cancer treatment, either in a professional or personal way.

Dipsea Hike/Run

To promote the importance of physical fitness in the fight against breast cancer, Zero Breast Cancer holds an annual Dipsea Hike/Run on the famed route on Mount Tamalpais. The event is held in honor of former Zero Breast Cancer board member Annie Fox, who passed away in 2002 at age 35 after a fight against breast cancer.

 

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