The Pink Fund®’s 7th Annual Dancing With The Survivors® Promises a Night of Dance, Music, and Hope

The Pink Fund, a Michigan-based non-profit that provides financial assistance to breast cancer patients in treatment so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace, is holding their seventh annual Dancing with The Survivors event on Friday, October 4^th, from 6:30 to 10:30 pm, at the Silver Garden Events Center in Southfield, MI.

Each year, the gala event features local Detroit breast cancer survivors, paired with professional dancers from Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield, performing ballroom style dances, while raising money for The Pink Fund’s mission. The funds raised from this event will be used to help Michigan breast cancer patients in active treatment.

For the last three months, the dance partners have met weekly to practice and master a ballroom style dance to be performed in front of an audience of family, friends and community members at Silver Garden Events Center.

And this year, Grammy-nominated Indie rock star and breast cancer survivor Carolyn Striho will be debuting a song she wrote specifically to inspire breast cancer patients.

“We need inspiration in trying times and breast cancer is a shocking diagnosis,” says Striho. “Im grateful to be asked to perform my new song to help women in this dark hour. It’s a message to keep going and to take care of yourself because people really do care.”

“Ballroom dancing is an ideal pairing with cancer survivorship,” said Pink Fund CEO and Founder, Molly MacDonald. “Dancing not only provides survivors with proven physical benefits, it gives them the confidence boost they need as they adjust to their new bodies.”

This year’s featured dancers are:

Ryan Plecha of Royal Oak, Michigan is the first dancer for the event who is not a patient himself, but who, nonetheless, is dancing in memory of his aunt and all the women in his life who might face breast cancer. He is the creator of the social media campaign, Pink Week, and dresses entirely in pink that week to raise awareness about breast cancer and the toll it takes on families.

 Rebecca Sorenson of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who describes herself as a poster child of breast cancer awareness and scheduled regular mammogram screenings, was shocked when diagnosed with a cancer mammography can miss. Now, she dances as a tribute to life, as a thank you to all who “had my back,” as a toast to those family and friends she has lost.

  Kelly Schalk of Auburn Hills, Michigan is hoping to raise enough money to support at least 3 women in their fight for their lives. More than that, she hopes that by hearing her breast cancer story or seeing her dance, that she can inspire her cancer warrior sisters to know that they, too, will feel the best they’ve ever felt after all the fighting is over.

Tresse Roby – Huntington Mills, Michigan became active in the breast cancer community after surviving here challenging diagnosis. She joined the board of the Michigan Breast Cancer Coalition, where she has traveled three times to Washington DC to advocate for Breast Cancer research and healthcare. She’s dancing to raise awareness about the most overlooked aspect of a cancer diagnosis, the financial toxicity it creates for young families.

 Michele Baker – Detroit, Michigan couldn’t have gotten through her cancer treatments without the help of friends, family and the hospital support staff. She’s dancing as her way of giving back to those people, and to help others like her who face the financial repercussions of a full-blown battle with cancer.

The money raised at this year’s Dancing with the Survivors will be used to make up to 90-days and $3,000 of non-medical bill payments for breast cancer survivors in active treatment at risk for devastating financial losses that may occur.  All payments are made directly to patient’s creditor.

The event is generously sponsored by:

• Waltz Level Sponsors: Joan Primo & David Yared, and Seed Foundation.
• Tango Level Sponsors: Advomas, Celgene, EY, TI Fluid Systems, Carol Ziecik, and Laura Segal.
• Rumba Level Sponsors: Genentech, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Somerset Collection The Forbes Company, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and UBS.

To purchase tickets and learn about this year’s participants, please visit:

Be Part of the Magic!

The Pink Fund

ABOUT DANCING WITH THE SURVIVORS

Dancing with The Survivors is the signature fundraising event to benefit The Pink Fund. The evening celebrates breast cancer survivors who thrive in their recovery and make a difference in the lives of other cancer patients. Breast cancer survivors across the country are paired with ballroom dance professionals, and participate in a dance showcase featuring various ballroom dances to raise funds to support The Pink Fund’s mission.

About The Pink Fund

The Pink Fund, founded in 2006 by breast cancer survivor, Molly MacDonald, is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial support, which helps meet basic needs, decreases stress levels and allows breast cancer patients to focus on healing while improving survivorship outcomes. The 90-day grant program covers non-medical cost-of-living expenses, such as health insurance premiums, housing, transportation and utilities. Payments are made to their creditors. To date, The Pink Fund has paid out more than $3 million. For more information, visit www.thepinkfund.org.

For more information, visit www.ThePinkFund.org.