Circle 1000 Celebrates 30 Years
Hoag Hospital Foundation announced that the 30th Annual Circle 1000 Founders’ Celebration Brunch raised $1.03 million to benefit Hoag Family Cancer Institute, bringing their total raised to $18 million over the last 30 years. More than 350 Circle 1000 donors and friends, along with Hoag physicians, staff and volunteer leaders, gathered on May 2, 2017, at the Balboa Bay Resort, to celebrate a legacy of service to those affected by cancer.
"Hoag Family Cancer Institute has become one of the largest cancer programs in Southern California and is the leading provider of radiation therapy and cancer care in Orange County," said Sheryl Anderson, chair of the 30th Annual Founders' Celebration Brunch. "We are not only able to contribute to the continued growth of Hoag Family Cancer Institute, but we are also able to directly support a variety of innovative programs that help so many thrive during their battle with cancer."
Circle 1000 founding members Fran Applegate delivered the invocation and Ginny Ueberroth presented a special token of thanks to Sandy Sewell, founder of Circle 1000. In 1987, after surviving breast cancer, Sandy gathered a group of friends and asked them each to contribute a minimum of $1,000 annually to support cancer care at Hoag. She also tasked them with asking their own circle of friends to participate. From the powerful bonds of friendship, Circle 1000 has grown into a network of more than 1,000 remarkable women who have collectively raised $18 million for Hoag in the last 30 years.
The highlight of the event was keynote speaker Joan Lunden, legendary co-host of Good Morning America, who shared her story as a cancer survivor and advocate. In 2014, she found herself facing a breast cancer diagnosis, which she immediately turned into a mission to educate and inspire others about prevention, treatment and survival. She encouraged all women "to be the CEO of their own health care."
"I will not apologize for informing and empowering women to better understand their health and better advocate for their own best care," she said. "We can't be afraid of answers. Answers are what allow us to be in charge of our health and be in front of disease."
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