Pink Hatters & Friends

UMMC and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee & Orleans hosted their annual Pink Hatters Night Out at Batavia Downs on Thursday.

The event supports those battling cancer, admires survivors and honors those who have passed.  

Photos by Howard Owens. (Apologies if we didn't use a picture we took of you -- many good pictures were lost because of photographer error.)

There was one upside to being one of the few men at the Pink Hatters & Friends annual dinner this year, comedian Dan Viola says.

No line at the restroom. Ta-dum-dum.

While humor might seem out of place for something as potentially sobering as an event to celebrate cancer survivors and remember those who have died from the awful disease, this event was a mix of light-hearted laughter and thoughtful recognition.

Viola was in the program line-up after a survivor recognition of those who have survived significant milestones of one year and beyond, and that followed guest speaker Dr. Lori Medeiros, who specializes in breast diseases and breast surgery. 

The key importance of having the event is to “celebrate our community’s survivors and continue to fundraise funds for our local community,” nurse manager Olivia Barren said. 

She and fellow nurse managers from United Memorial Medical Center’s maternity department came together to put the event together, she said. There were nearly 300 people in attendance, made up of about 50 percent cancer survivors, plus their family, friends, and hospital staff.

“We’ve had really good success with fundraising. And I think at the end of the day, just getting everyone together and being able to celebrate the success, and all the hard work that we put into it, and everyone's survivor’s story, it’s really great,” she said. “We start with the basket raffle. That's our primary source of fundraising. We did a dessert dash, which we were able to raise just under $2,000 with the dessert dash, which I'd never even heard of before. Each table fundraised just within their dinner table, and they put money in an envelope …  We had all the way up to $147 was our winning table, and they got to go first. So we raised a lot of money in a very short amount of time with that, so they get to go and pick desserts first. And then the second highest envelope, and next and then so on and so forth.”

Thanks to donations from local bakeries and restaurants, those tables with the highest contributions then dashed to select one of 37 desserts of their choice, she said. It made for a fun ending to dinner and a good way to raise more money for the cause. 

Aside from the fundraising aspect, Barren has a deeply personal reason for her passion: “My mom is actually a breast cancer survivor,” she said.

“And so it’s very meaningful to me,” she said. “I’m the OB Department nurse manager, so we do a lot of education for obstetric patients about breast cancer and early screening. And it just hits home, mostly because of my mom.” 

The basket raffle, featuring themed baskets of various items, involved contributions from hospital workers and members of the community, she said. 

While attendees still wear pink attire and many wear colorful fun pink hats, the main theme of breast cancer awareness for the month of October has expanded to include colon cancer as well.  

“All of us wear pink hats to honor breast cancer. But this year, we're talking a lot about — our keynote speaker is actually a survivor of colon cancer,” Barren said. “So not just breast cancer, anybody with cancer stories. But we do focus a lot on the breast cancer side of things.

“I really love being super involved. I love getting together with a community. I love getting together with my friends outside of work to really network and hang out in a low-stresson  environment compared to being in the hospital every day where we're dealing with life and death.,” she said. “Here, we get to have fun, eat wonderful food and raise money for our community.”

United Memorial Medical Center and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee and Orleans hosted their annual Pink Hatters Night Out at Batavia Downs on Thursday.

The event supports those battling cancer, celebrates survivors and honors those who have passed.  

And people get to wear fun pink hats.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Pink Hatters and Friends return to Batavia Downs on Oct. 27 to celebrate cancer survivors in our community.

Tickets are $30 and include a $10 free play in the casino.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and a program to begin at 7 p.m.

There is a basket raffle, entertainment, and a keynote speaker, plus a "best hat" award.

Tickets are available at Healthy Living, 164 Washington Ave., Batavia, or by calling (585) 344-5331.  

Photo: File photo from the 2018 event

Press release:

Rochester Regional Health will celebrate breast cancer survivors at United Memorial Medical Center’s Pink Hatters annual fundraiser. The more than 20-year tradition will look different than in years past.

With safety top of mind, this year’s fundraiser has been converted into a drive-thru chicken barbeque. It will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at the Town of Batavia Fire Hall on Lewiston Road in Batavia. 

Participants are encouraged to dress up their vehicles in pink to show their support for these warriors. All proceeds benefit participants of the Cancer Services Program and people in our community without health insurance.

Tickets are available for presale only until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Those interested in tickets can contact (585) 344-5331.

Tickets cost $20 each and includes a delicious half chicken from Holy Smokes and salt potatoes, coleslaw, Costanzo roll (from the Buffalo bakery) & butter.

As always, Rochester Regional Health and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, and Niagara Counties will recognize these warriors among us at the annual Pink Hatters Fundraiser.

What: Pink Hatters Drive-thru Chicken BBQ

When: Saturday, Oct. 24 from 12-3 p.m.

Where: Town of Batavia Fire Hall, 8382 Lewiston Road, Batavia

Once again, more than 400 cancer survivors and friends turned out at Batavia Downs for UMMC's annual Pink Hatters dinner.

The annual event, started more than 15 years ago, honors those who have survived cancer, primarily breast cancer, and supports those facing cancer and their friends and families.

The guest speakers this year included Lisa Lavrey, a physical therapist who spoke about lymphedema and reducing risks and managing symptoms, and Debbie Weiss, a cancer survivor.

The event also included vendors and a basket raffle.

Press release:

The Cancer Services Program of Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Niagara Counties along with United Memorial Medical Center are proud to once again host the annual Pink Hatters & Friends Night Out.  

In recent years, this special event has expanded beyond breast cancer awareness month to recognize and inspire those affected by all types of cancer.  An evening of education, personal stories, and entertainment is set to lift the spirits of those battling cancer, honor the survivors, and pay tribute to those we have lost.

When: Thursday, Oct. 25

Where: Batavia Downs -- 8315 Park Road, Batavia

Time:

4 p.m. -- Doors open

6 p.m. -- Buffet dinner 

7 p.m. -- Program begins

UMMC and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee & Orleans hosted their annual Pink Hatters Night Out at Batavia Downs on Thursday.

The event supports those battling cancer, admires survivors and honors those who have passed.  

The guest speaker was Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, who is a gastroenterologist, followed by a presentation of the Pink Hat awards and guest speaker Michael Tenebruso, stage four colorectal cancer patient. 

There was also a survivor recognition and fashion show. 

Gail Fenton, co-owner of Fenton’s Produce, emceed the program.

Photos submitted by UMMC.

Press release:

The Cancer Services Partnership of Genesee and Orleans County will hold its annual cancer awareness program, Pink Hatters, on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Clarion Hotel, 8250 Park Road, Batavia.

A Chinese Auction will be held from 4 to 6:30 pm. Hors d’oeuvres and dessert stations will available from 5 to 7 pm. Cancer survivors will be recognized and prizes awarded for the best pink hats. “Breadtime Stories” will be presented by the evening’s featured speaker, Chet Fery.

The evening is a colorful, celebratory event filled with laughter. However, when survivors stand up based on the number of years since they received their cancer diagnosis, an awe-inspiring hush fills the room. Women who are currently battling the illness are applauded with support. Women who have been cancer free for 20 years, 30 years or longer provide hope to everyone.

Tickets are $20 each and available by pre-sale only. Call the UMMC Healthy Living Department at 344-5331 for registration information. Reservations are available for tables of 10.

Payment and registrations must be received by Oct 4. This event is funded in part by a grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Western New York.

The Cancer Services Partnership is a grant funded program which provides access to free colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screenings for men and women, age 18 to 64, who are uninsured or underinsured. United Memorial manages the Partnership for Orleans and Genesee counties.