Covington, Ga. (Oct. 8, 2021) – The Hope Boutique at Piedmont Newton Hospital received a $12,500 donation, the proceeds from the Pink Glow Out 5k sponsored by Central Church in Covington.
“I am incredibly grateful to Central Church and all of the participants in the Pink Glow Out 5k for their support of Piedmont Newton and the Hope Boutique,” said David Kent, chief executive officer of Piedmont Newton. “I am honored to accept their generous donation on behalf of the Women’s Diagnostic Center.”
Maree Cronan, one of the event organizers, said the Oct. 2 fundraiser was the first nighttime run in Covington and will become an annual event to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The more than 200 participants wore pink and glow-in-the-dark necklaces.
“We wanted to glow for the ladies,” Cronan said.
The Hope Boutique, located in the Women’s Diagnostic Center (WDC) at Piedmont Newton, supports women battling breast cancer with scarves, wigs, and other resources. Cronan said she and other church leaders chose the boutique as the beneficiary because they love the story behind it. In 2006, a volunteer with the WDC, Kay Goff, was diagnosed with breast cancer and quickly realized the need for a program to help families with the extra expenses that can occur with a cancer diagnosis; her idea became the Hope Boutique.
“We have a lot of events at the church just for fun, but to do something for such a good cause, that was the real blessing of it,” said Donna Allen, a pastor at Central Church.
Not only did the Pink Glow Out 5k benefit women with breast cancer, a breast cancer survivor, Susan “Sissy” Skipper, and her daughter actually won the race in their respective age groups. Skipper was an avid runner before her diagnosis, even running a marathon 20 years ago, but the Pink Glow Out 5k was the first race she had run since her 2018 breast cancer battle.
Skipper was diagnosed with breast cancer through a routine mammogram at the Women’s Diagnostic Center at Piedmont Newton. She remembered panicking during a biopsy and said Wendy Hankins, the cancer navigator, held her hand.
“I just thought if I had to go through all that, this is the place to do it,” Skipper said.
Last weekend, she ran to give back to the place that made her experience with breast cancer as positive as possible.
“I was proud when it was announced that I was a survivor and did that [won],” Skipper said. “It lets people know that just because you have something like that and go through something, you can still go on with your life and do things like you always did.”
If you would like to donate to the Hope Boutique, the Women’s Diagnostic Center or to Piedmont Newton, please contact the Piedmont Foundation by visiting www.piedmont.org or calling 404-605-2130.