Move4Her Event Exceeds Goal for Research, Education and Awareness

The Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) held its first-ever Move4Her virtual event on Sunday, Oct. 18, bringing in, to date, more than $295,000 for research, education and awareness of gynecologic cancers—exceeding the event’s goal of $250,000 in donations. Fitness expert Kathy Smith led the event, livestreamed on YouTube, which had nearly 800 registrants representing a total of 47 states and four countries (United States, Canada, Netherlands and Spain). Donations are still being accepted for Move4Her through the end of this year. For those who may have missed the Move4Her livestream over the weekend, a recording of the event will be made available for a limited time at a later date.

To date, the top fundraisers for this year’s Move4Her are as follows:

• Top Fundraising Team: Wendy’s Warriors – $17,164
• Top Institutional Fundraising Team: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – $6,062
• Top Individual Fundraiser: Gena Pettinato – $11,250

In addition to Memorial Sloan Kettering, there were several teams comprised of SGO members and staff that participated in Move4Her, including University of Chicago, WashU in St. Louis, Arizona Oncology, SGO Team, MD Anderson, Canes4Women’s Cancer, The Ohio State University – James Cancer Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Duke Gyn Oncology, Vanderbilt, Move4VCU Gyn Onc, University of Colorado, WMCHealth Network – Cancer Center, Gyn Onc Fellows Team, Penn State Health and University of Cincinnati.

Photos posted on social media during the Move4Her event are available on SGO’s Flickr site.

This year the Move4Her event replaced the National Race to End Women’s Cancer as the Foundation’s main fundraising event. The race, usually held during the first weekend of November in Washington, DC, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Move4Her was a great event. Out of bad comes some good and I think this program proved that,” said FWC Chair David Mutch, MD. “In spite of COVID we had an incredibly successful event and we were able to honor all the women who have and have had a gynecologic cancer.

“This event was a whopping success thanks to the survivors, their families, friends, the dedicated SGO/FWC staff and volunteer leaders,” Dr. Mutch added. “This showed that the human spirit can overcome this pandemic to honor the women with these diseases. Thanks to everyone for making this a great event.”

“I was so proud to host the Foundation for Women’s Cancer 2020 Move4Her live virtual class. It was life changing,” said Smith. “Yes, we did move our bodies but we also shared stories and victories and raised money that will change outcomes for people diagnosed with gynecologic cancers. Movement and wellness are a powerful combination but even more powerful (are) movement, community and wellness—and that all came together in this one special hour.”