BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates’s stirring speech on surviving cancer brought the crowd of almost 800 guests to their feet in applause at the recent Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation’s 32nd annual benefit luncheon at the Hilton Chicago.
Board Chair Julie Lampert and Kathy Bates.
As tenacious as her Annie Wilkes character was in Rob Reiner’s Misery, for which she won the Academy Award in 1990, Bates’s successful two-time battle with cancer since 2003 has led to her play a powerful philanthropic role. Master of Ceremonies, Bill Zwecker, also quizzed her on her recent work on Feud as actress Joan Blondell and her current Netflix series, Disjointed.
Fall Benefit Co-Chairs Sofia Ahmad Jones and Julie Roth Novack with Bill Zwecker.
Sofia Ahmad Jones and Julie Roth Novak co-chaired the benefit that began with a PUR-SUE THE CURE™ purse auction of more than 200 gorgeous handbags donated by preeminent retailers, upscale boutiques, and private collectors.
The PUR-SUE THE CURE™ Purse Auction.
Julie reported:
“I am very proud that we raised more than $800,000 for cancer research. My mother and grandmother both had breast cancer, and I lost my sister to cancer last year, so this is a very personal cause for me.”
Sofia added:
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to co-chair this amazing event, which raises significant research funds. As a breast cancer survivor who was treated and continues to be treated at the Lynn Sage Cancer Center, this is especially meaningful to me.”
Since its beginning in 1985, the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation has raised over $32 million toward advancing the understanding of breast cancer. For the last 26 years, the foundation has been affiliated with Northwestern Medicine, helping to fund research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center in novel treatments, education, and the early detection of breast cancer.
Co-Chairs Julie Roth Novack and Sofia Ahmad Jones speak at the Fall Benefit.
Proceeds from the luncheon, which ended with pink macaroons, support research, fellowships, and education.
For more information about the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation, go to lynnsage.org.
Aleksandra Cozzi and Treva Shamapande.
Dede Lubeznik, Rebecca Besser, Michaela Parrillo, and Marypat Wallace.
Doug Novack and Fall Benefit Co-Chair Julie Roth Novack.
Terri Lind, Charlene Lieber, Kathy Bates, and Lili Ann Zisook.
Mollie Cowen, Charlene Lieber, and Emma Cowen.
Elizabeth Fishman-Gonsky and Hilary Kurinsky.
Terri Lind and Kathy Piccone.
Rania Jones, Fall Benefit Co-Chair Sofia Ahmad Jones, Mike Jones, and Zan Jones.
Photo credit: Sheri Whitko Photography
