Mom's Day Off Raises $12k for Breast Cancer Services
Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

Mom's Day Off Raises $12k for Breast Cancer Services

BENNINGTON, VT—April 4, 2024— Bromley Mountain’s 21st annual “Mom’s Day Off” fundraiser set a new record on March 1, raising $12,000 to benefit breast cancer care at the Dartmouth Cancer Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC).

Recently retired Bromley General Manager (GM) Bill Cairns (pictured center) and incoming GM Josh Witkin (left) presented a check to President and CEO of SVMC Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, on Thursday, March 28 at the Peru, VT ski resort. 

“Mom’s Day Off is an event close to our hearts at Bromley Mountain,” said Cairns. “The community really shows up each year to make a difference. I’m thrilled that my final year at Bromley is breaking records and setting the bar a little higher for 2025!”

Bromley donated more than $7,600 in proceeds from lift ticket sales, which are sold at a discounted rate of $30 for the day. The Wild Boar Tavern at Bromley also donated 50% of its food sales to the cause, totaling $2,257. Participants and community members made additional donations on Mom’s Day Off, including a $2,000 gift from the Women of Willard, that brought the grand total this year to $11,988.

“Our cancer center has an exceptional team in place to support our patients,” said SVMC’s Tom Dee. “These philanthropic dollars make it possible for that team to go further and provide support that goes beyond treatments. Thank you to Bromley, the Wild Boar Tavern and everyone who came out to make this possible.”

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About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member hospital of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

SVMC Contact: Kathryn.Czaplinski@svhealthcare.org

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A Very Unusual Road Race

Matthew Vernon, MD, radiation oncologist at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, and his wife Elisa Donato love running road races. In just the last 2 years, the couple has completed one full marathon, nearly 30 half marathons, and a generous sprinkling of races of other distances. They love to get the finisher medals at the ends of their races and take great pride in their extensive collection of them.

In February, they set out on a trip to run a 20-mile trail race up and down a volcano on an island in shark-filled Lake Nicaragua. And they thought that race would be their most unique of the year.

Matt and Elisa were training for their second full marathon, scheduled for April 26th in New Jersey, when COVID-19 hit.

"Of course the race was canceled," Dr. Vernon remembers. "But we couldn't be marathon-ready and not run." They had toyed with the idea of organizing a race of their own, so this seemed like the time to do it.

That is how the COVID Bridges Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K/AnyK was born. (The name is a quippy take on the popular Covered Bridges Half Marathon that happens in Woodstock, VT, each year. And yes, their marathon course also included covered bridges.)

Once the name stuck, they designed and ordered a finisher medal for everyone who signed up.

And as long as they were going to the trouble to start a virtual/distanced road race in the middle of a pandemic, why not raise some money, too? They started a Facebook group and a GoFundMe page, set a goal of $1,000, and designated the Cancer Center as the recipient. They recommended an entry fee of $10 per person, and lots of people signed up, including many colleagues from Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

"We were originally going to pick April 26, the same day as our marathon, but we thought we had a better chance for good weather in May," Dr. Vernon shared. They picked May 9. That day turned out to include heavy snow.

As a virtual race, however, they clarified that the run could occur at the time of the participant’s choosing, over the course of their choosing, of any distance. A few even bicycled in place of running. Many participants brought their kids along.

The event raised $1,045 for the Cancer Center. And people had a good time bonding over running and walking during this unusual time.

"In the end it was a great experience," Dr. Vernon said. "We had a blast, inspired some people to get out of the house, and raised some money for a good cause. And those medals will certainly inspire unique feelings when we see them hanging there among our collection."

 

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