CHI Memorial Foundation’s 14th annual Pink! Gala raised $471,000 – a record high for the event. The proceeds will benefit the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center at CHI Memorial.
The sellout crowd brought the total amount raised during 14 years of the annual fundraising gala to more than $4.2 million.
“The Chattanooga community continues to be generous in their support of this event,” says Jennifer Nicely, president, CHI Memorial Foundation. “Because of their generosity, we’re able to provide access to the most advanced breast cancer technology and treatments available.”
A portion of this year’s proceeds waas used to purchase new mammogram equipment. The ultrahigh-resolution images the equipment produces allow MaryEllen Locher’s radiologists to see smaller lesions and better interpret 3D mammograms.
Some of the proceeds will also be added to an endowment fund started in 2018, ensuring services provided by MaryEllen Locher will continue well into the future.
In previous years, funds raised through Pink! helped purchase 3D mammogram machines and fund CHI Memorial’s two mobile health coaches. The coaches travel thousands of miles each year, visiting 24 counties in Eastern Tennessee and five counties in North Georgia. In fiscal 2018, about 4,400 women received mammogram screenings on the coaches.
Next year’s Pink! gala will be held Saturday, Jan. 25. Information: 423 495-7465, www.memorial.org/foundation, www.maryellenlocher.com.
Source: CHI Memorial