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Third Annual Pink Pearl Gala Honors the DeGrasses,
Founders of the North Fork Breast Health Coalition
Wading River –
At the Third Annual Pink Pearl Gala on Friday, April 7,
the North Fork Breast Health Coalition (NFBHC) will
recognize Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and her late husband,
Antonio DeGrasse, with
the Pink
Pearl Community Service Award. The gala was
named for the late Pearl Philindas, past president. The
dinner and award ceremony, followed by dancing to music
provided by DJ Phil, will be held from 6-10 PM in the
elegant ballroom at East Wind, 5720 Route 25A, Wading
River.
Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and
Antonio DeGrasse, who passed away early last year,
founded NFBHC in 1998 because they saw a great need for
such an organization on the North Fork, where there is
an especially high rate of diagnosis of the disease. A
retired teacher, Ann serves on the Riverhead School
Board and was board president. Antonio also worked for
the Riverhead Central School District, most recently as
an assistant principal. He was also a past president of
Riverhead Rotary, which was instrumental in providing
financial support for the creation and legal foundations
of the NFBHC.
NFBHC will also honor Flora Garsten and her husband
Irwin, who just recently passed away, with the Pink
Pearl Spirit Award. The couple is being recognized for
their charitable contributions to the community. As the
owners of Apple Honda, Riverhead, they established an
annual breast cancer awareness campaign, which has been
held every October at the car dealership for the last
four years. Including participation at the annual NFBHC
5K Walk, Apple Honda has contributed $27,250 to
local breast-cancer patients and survivors.
The first and second annual galas were very successful
with hundreds of people attending each of them. Seating
for this year’s gala is available for $125 per person.
To reserve individual seating, reserve tables for a
group or to inquire about corporate sponsorship
opportunities, please leave a message at the coalition
office in Riverhead at 631-208-8889, contact Event Chair
Melanie McEvoy at melanie@mcevoyandassociates.com or visit www.northforkbreasthealth.org.
Tickets are also available through www.nycharities.org.
The North Fork Breast Health Coalition is currently led
by President Susan Ruffini. The all-volunteer, nonprofit
organization supports local breast-cancer patients with
programs such as Helping Hand grants. Funds raised by
the gala will also allow the group to continue to
provide free services such as yoga, massage therapy,
reflexology and support groups to breast-cancer patients
and survivors.
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