This year the ladies at Port Washington Yacht Club (PWYC) changed the traditional Holiday Party to a true fundraiser, celebrating the life of a friend lost at a young age to colon cancer.
This year’s PWYC Ladies Holiday Party was dedicated in loving memory to Stacey Fuller Cohn, longtime Port Washington resident and club member. Always vivacious with a zest for life and kindness in her heart, she was a friend to many. The proceeds of the evening’s event would benefit the DeRosa Foundation for Colon Cancer in Cohn’s honor.
The DeRosa Foundation was founded by Kathy DeRosa, who herself had been diagnosed with hyperplastic polyposis syndrome. Her diagnosis was luckily caught in time and she has since established the DeRosa Foundation, which is dedicated to raising colon cancer awareness and promoting research to advance its prevention and early treatment. The foundation has a patient outreach support program which provides financial support for those in need and connects newly diagnosed patients seeking support with survivors, as well as providing patient navigation services for all cancer patients. The foundation, in its 10th year, will have a Decade of Dedication Gala in March at Oheka Castle. For more information on the organization, visit www.thederosafoundation.org.
The ladies event was held as a big cocktail party with an open bar and a continuous flow of passed food throughout the night. With a mixture of round tables and cocktail tables, young and old mixed and chatted while an acoustic guitarist played in the grill room. Gone were vendors and gifts; instead, raffles, boards and silent auction items were bountiful throughout the club to raise funds for this dreaded disease which took away this young mother too early from this world.
