Breast cancer coalition Shining Light Award winners to be honored June 16

The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition announced the winners of the 2016 Shining Light Awards. The honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony open to the public from 8 to 10:30 a.m., Thursday, June 16, at the Chase Center on the Wilmington Riverfront.

Awards will be presented to individuals and companies in the following categories: Steve “Monty” Montgomery and Adam Howard for the Philanthropic Efforts of Dewey Goes Pink for Spotlight on Philanthropy; Peggie Ball for Spotlight on Survivorship; Beebe Healthcare accepted by Dan Mapes, for Spotlight on Health Care Delivery, Organization; Nancy Cook, for Spotlight on Health Care Delivery, Individual; and Currie Hair Skin Nails for Spotlight on Business.

The Shining Light Awards began in 2014 as a way to honor individuals and organizations who have made a difference in the local battle against breast cancer. The public was invited to nominate those most deserving of the Shining Light Awards for recognition. A panel of independent judges joined together to select the five most deserving candidates for the awards.

“The Shining Light Awards program began so the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition would have a public platform to recognize the countless heroes and heroines in Delaware who are leading the battle against breast cancer,” said Vicky Cooke, coalition executive director.

“Our organization has grown and thrived over the last 25 years thanks to so many supporters, contributors, and partnerships, and we needed a way to say thank you and show our gratitude. Our 2016 honorees deserve to be acknowledged for their leadership, commitment and inspiration to others.”

Dewey Goes Pink began in 2011 under the philanthropic vision of Steve “Monty” Montgomery and Adam Howard. The annual 5K and pink after-party featuring live music, a pulled pork smorgasbord and grapefruit crushes, began as a way to bring together breast cancer survivors and their families. It was also a way for Montgomery and Howard to leverage their local businesses to honor their mothers and raise money for a cause that was close to their hearts. Both mothers were affected by breast cancer.

Montgomery’s mother, Barbara, aka “Gugie,” was a 25-year survivor who faced a recurrence 23 years after the initial diagnosis and passed away in 2011. Howard's mother, Paula, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and is doing well today. Now over 2,000 participants come together each year to pay homage to Gugie, and support Adam and Monty’s philanthropic vision. Over the last five years Dewey Goes Pink has contributed more than $200,000 to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition. Montgomery is the owner of the Starboard Restaurant in Dewey Beach, and Howard is the owner of the Body Shop fitness center in Rehoboth Beach.

Peggie Ball was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2009. She attributes her ability to beat the disease to her faith in God and her husband, Bob. As a survivor, Ball has served to motivate and inspire others to help those faced with breast cancer. She saw an event advertisement in 2011 for the DE-feet Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk held each May in Rehoboth Beach. She decided to form a team, Walking for All, involving her friends and family members. For the last five years she led the team with dedication and inspiration, coming up with a new team theme each year and never losing her spirit. For the past five years she has raised over $26,000 for the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, which is no small feat, but more importantly, she has spread the message of breast cancer awareness and the resilience of survivorship to her community. She is a caring person, always looking for ways to help.

Beebe Healthcare, under the leadership of Dan Mapes, the director of Diagnostic Imaging, has spearheaded many initiatives for the advancement of breast imaging. Beebe was one of the first centers in Delaware to earn the American College of Radiology’s designation as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. Mapes was also part of a team that earned the distinction of being the only breast center in the state of Delaware to become accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

In addition, he was instrumental in bringing breast MRI to Beebe and facilitated the necessary training and certification of the radiologists and technologists. His latest accomplishment in the advancement of breast imaging is in the establishment of breast tomosynthesis (3D mammography) at Beebe. Through his efforts, Beebe Healthcare was the first facility in Sussex County to offer this latest tool for the early detection of breast cancer. Mapes has been instrumental in the advancement of breast imaging at Beebe Healthcare in many ways, a resource to those newly diagnosed with breast cancer in and around Sussex County and a partner to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

Nancy Cook of Kenton was a state senator in Delaware from 1974 through 2010. Her list of legislative accomplishments included championing screenings for Delaware’s most vulnerable populations and supporting programs to fund cancer treatment and aid in the early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancer. She was integral in the funding of the mobile mammography van, owned by the State of Delaware, and operated by the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition which provides lifesaving screenings to uninsured, underinsured, and rarely screened women in Delaware. In 2009 the mammography screening equipment on the van was in need of funding. It desperately needed to be updated from analog to digital technology or none of the radiologists would be able to read the images.

At that time, the General Assembly said there was no money in the budget for this upgrade. Cook was able to review other funding sources within the state and ensured the money was made available. Because of the digital equipment that was purchased, the coalition has gone onto screen almost 800 women a year, many of whom would not have had access to mammography otherwise.

Since 2009, Currie Hair Skin Nails, in Glen Mills, Pa., and on the Riverfront in Wilmington, has been a friend and supporter of the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, under the vision and leadership of Randy Currie, founder of the salon and spa. Over the years, the business has generously opened its doors for one Sunday in October to host a day of Life in Beauty.

Because of Currie’s direction, hairstylists, massage therapists, estheticians, makeup artists, nail technicians and front desk staff will volunteer their time and expertise through service appointments, and 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition. Through these salon and spa services, Currie has donated over $50,000 to the coalition over the years, along with product samples and gift cards for goodie bags and giveaways to breast cancer survivors and community members participating in DBCC events.

Proceeds from the Shining Light Awards will benefit DBCC’s programs that increase breast cancer awareness, promote the importance of early detection, provide access to mammograms and provide support and resources to women and men in the local community who are newly diagnosed or facing a recurrence of breast cancer. For more information, go to www.debreastcancer.org.