Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Northside
Kelly Piccininni
Senior Director, HR Operations and Shared Services at Northside Hospital
Every October, Northside is proud to go pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the past, we have recognized this month in a variety of ways, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we had to adjust our traditionally in-person events to suit the times we live in.
While it may have looked different this year, we had employees from across our healthcare system participate in virtual events and donate to the cause. The funds raised through our programs, such as Tennis Against Breast Cancer and Paint Gwinnett Pink, support screening and early detection efforts - one of the most effective ways to stop breast cancer in its tracks.
Tennis Against Breast Cancer – Game NOT Over!
In order to protect the health of our employees and tennis players in our annual Tennis Against Breast Cancer event, this year’s events went virtual! The theme for 2020’s celebrations was Game NOT! Over, a nod to our commitment to continuing the fight against breast cancer despite the pandemic interrupting our in-person tennis tournament. Our fundraising efforts this year included a live raffle for our raffle baskets, four costume photo contests, and a fundraising competition to see which team could raise the most. This year, the Boobie Bunch team was #1, raising a total of $11,835!
Paint Gwinnett Pink
Northside Hospital Gwinnett hosts the Paint Gwinnett Pink 5K Walk/Run every October. The event is the largest 5K supporting breast cancer research in Gwinnett County and 2020 marked the event’s fifth year! This year’s virtual event encouraged participants to submit their photos of their virtual run, walk, or other at-home fundraising efforts to be a part of the virtual community’s celebrations. The virtual race day event on October 24th featured a from-home Zumba class, survivorship stories, virtual concerts, and more!
We are proud of the Northside Family’s dedication to this cause, year after year. As a result of fundraising, gifts, and employee donations, Northside has raised over $500,000 to support our fight against breast cancer. We certainly made the circumstances work for us this year and hope to be able to celebrate and donate at our Breast Cancer Awareness Month events in-person soon!