by intern Andrew Dubbs
Photo credit: Andrew Dubbs
On Saturday evening, celebrities, politicians, researchers and corporate executives attended The LUNGevity Foundation’s 3rd Annual Musical Celebration of Hope Gala inside a stunning Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.
The aim of the event was to “celebrate the progress in lung cancer research that gives the lung cancer community hope for finding more effective detection methods and treatments for the disease.”
Hudson Young and John Arundel
In addition, LUNGevity awarded The Hope Award for Corporate Leadership – an award for corporate commitment to the health and well-being of lung cancer communities – and The Face of Hope award – an award for individual fight to stop lung cancer and actively make a difference.
Dana Landow, Michael Landow, Alyssa Landow, Alexandra Huber, David Landow, Susan Landow
The Arabian Nights-themed evening was emcee’d by WUSA 9’s Andrea Roane who was, “excited and honored” to be at an event that “approaches the tough fight against lung cancer, with a spirit of hope and optimism.”
Marlene and Fred Malek with Olivia Dupont
Roane said that LUNGevity’s mission of having an immediate impact on lung cancer is important to her because “the more we learn about treating and curing lung cancer, the more answers we’ll have for treating all types of cancer.” She also said that, “progress in the fight against lung cancer is moving quickly” and that “recent advances have changed the way that lung cancer is both treated and detected.”
Olivia Dupont, Gala Chair Michelle Olson, Betsy Delphos, Jordan Delphos
These advances are, “making patients more comfortable and ultimately saving lives and that is why we are here tonight to celebrate.”
Alice Cassin and Kate Zevnik
The gala was chaired by the “remarkable” Michelle Olson and Ginny Grenham. Before her opening remarks, Michelle Olsen grabbed for her glasses to which she commented, “Don’t mind my glasses,” which garnered a few laughs. While it was a joke, it was part of an orchestrated point: “I want to take these glasses on and off for a hundred years, and that is our wish for all of you and all of your loved ones.”
Rhoda Glickman, Ginny Grenham, Paul Zevnik and Dan Glickman
In Ginny Grenham’s opening remarks, she said “The staggering statistics about lung cancer just blew me away.” Some of these statistics that were championed throughout the night were: 1 in 14 American are diagnosed in their lifetime, 60% of lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers, that lung cancer kills more people than the next four most popular cancers combined, and lastly; only 16% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more.
The Hope Award for Corporate Commitment was awarded to the Dow Corporation, the first corporation outside of the pharmaceutical industry to receive the award. In introducing the company, Michelle Olsen said that, “Dow’s leaders understand the power of scientific research and have provided steadfast support to Lungevity” and that the company has “truly made a difference.”
Bart Mckenzie and Dave Dorros
Andrew Liveris, CEO of the Dow Chemical Company, accepted the award via video. In that video, Liveris, on behalf of his 54,000 employees, thanked LUNgevity for their “tireless work, for funding crucial research, for educating the public, and for organizing a nation-wide community of lung cancer survivors and caregivers. ”
John and Debbie Dingell
The most prominent part of the evening was awarding the Face of Hope award to Representative John Dingell, the longest serving member of congress. Instead of speaking about his own efforts such as “authoring landmark bills,” Representative Dingell congratulated “the wonderful work that Lungevity does.”
Dr. Tina West, Sharon Bradley, Cindy Jones
“The honor you give me is one of which I’m very proud, but it is more because of the givers, you hear in this in this wonderful organization and the work which you do that lends so much value to the awards which you are giving,” he said. “Cancer is not something simple or easy but is “a condition in which we are making headway.”
Jerry Sorkin, LUNGevity Board Member
In his closing remarks Dingell had this to say: “As we look forward, this evening is not just a night of hope, but it’s a time which tells us that we are headed toward further progress, and I not only challenge you, but I praise you because I know that you will beat the challenge which we confront in doing away with this evil disease and seeing to it that no longer do americans or others in this world of ours die of lung cancer or indeed of the other awful cancers with which it is so closely associated.”
