Butterfly Ball shines bright

Photo: LBBC CEO Jean A. Sachs and LBBC Board Members 

Last Saturday night, gratitude — and high style — were on full display when several hundred guests turned out in-person at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel for Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Butterfly Ball, raising a record-setting $975,000 in support of the nonprofit’s programs and services for people who have been impacted by breast cancer.

Hosted by Jean A. Sachs, LBBC's CEO, the gala — which was all-virtual in 2020 — returned in hybrid form with 270 in-person and 300 virtual attendees joining from 34 U.S. states, Canada, and even Hong Kong. They arrived decked out in red-carpet-worthy ensembles to hear the inspiring stories of the 2021 Donna Noce Colaco Beyond Breast Cancer Awardees, Roberta A. Albany, Laura Kowal, Sheila Marie Johnson, and Erica Taxin; 2021 Founders Awardee Steven E. Copit, MD; and to raise money for LBBC’s programs and services for people who have been impacted by breast cancer. The involvement and leadership of the night’s co-chairs helped make the event a success. They were Cathi Cozen Snyder, Tracy and Sean Dowling, Jennifer and Eli Gross, and Danielle and Vahan Gureghian.

Honorary Event Chair Debra Somers Copit, honorees, and featured speakers alike expressed immense gratitude for the important work of LBBC and the support of family, friends, and the breast cancer community — especially during the ongoing pandemic. Many were simply grateful for the opportunity to get out of their athleisure wear and into evening attire for the first time in nearly two years.

Missed the celebration this year? You can still donate to support the work of LBBC.

Event highlights

View highlights from the celebration, flip though our photo gallery.

Photos taken by Laurie Beck Peterson.

2021 Founders Awardee

Steven E. Copit, MD
Clinical Professor Director, Division of Plastic Surgery,
Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Copit has over 27 years of experience in advanced breast and body plastic, and is well known as a compassionate surgeon who has helped countless women diagnosed with breast cancer over the past two decades re-claim their lives and restore their bodies.

2021 Donna Noce Colaco Going Beyond Honorees

Roberta A. Albany
Roberta is the founder and CEO of Cancer in the Know, and is a contributing author of Bruised, Broken & Blessed. Roberta’s leadership advocacy began with Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Young Advocate Program in September 2015, and continues today as an advisory council member for a national educational series designed to reduce breast cancer health disparities for Black women.

Laura Kowal, MPT, JD

Laura has served as in-house counsel to The Nemours Foundation since 2015, and currently serves as the Senior VP, General Counsel to the Nemours Foundation. Laura was Chair of Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s board of directors from 2017-18, leading the organization to new fundraising heights. She has shared her personal story to amplify the resources available for women impacted by breast cancer.

Sheila Marie Johnson
Sheila is a mother and 25-year veteran of the United States Air Force. She is a very active leadership volunteer for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, serves as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer program, and volunteers for other organizations dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer through research.

Erica Taxin, CYT, MSW
Erica was diagnosed with the BRCA gene mutation several years ago and made the difficult choice to get preventative surgeries to minimize her risk of cancer. Erica has served as a strong and vocal advocate about her personal decisions to protect her health and is helping her children navigate these decisions in a positive and informed manner.

Watch the recording of the virtual portion of the evening:

2021 Butterfly Ball from Living Beyond Breast Cancer on Vimeo.