Celebrating Women
Rita Wilson to speak at 17th annual luncheon
B r e a s t c a n c e r s u r v i v o r a nd
multi-talented actress, producer, writer and
singer, Rita Wilson, will be the featured
speaker at the 17th annual Baylor Health
Care System Foundation Celebrating
Women luncheon on Thursday, October
20, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.
The announcement was first shared with an
excited group of Celebrating Women committee members at the Kick-Off Reception,
held at Neiman Marcus Downtown in
Dallas, Texas.
Rita has appeared in numerous films and
television shows including “Sleepless in
Seattle,” “It’s Complicated, “Girls” and
“The Good Wife.” On Broadway she starred
in “Chicago” and last year appeared opposite Larry David in “Fish in the Dark.” Rita
was the driving force behind producing the
record-breaking box office hit “My Big Fat
Greek Wedding,” as well as its sequel, and
also secured the rights and produced the
film of the hit Broadway show “Mamma
Mia!” after seeing it in London. In 2012,
Rita released her first album “AM/FM,” an
intimate collection of covers of her favorite
songs from the ’60s and ’70s. Her second
album, entitled “Rita Wilson,” was released
in March of this year, and also marked her
debut as a songwriter. Rita collaborated
with a number of accomplished songwriters to produce a deeply personal album
etched with stunning honesty.
In March 2015, Rita was diagnosed with
breast cancer, and since then has shared
her inspiring story with the world. Rita’s
cancer was not found in the first round of
tests. At the luncheon, she is expected to
speak about her experience with the disease and the importance of early detection
and seeking a second opinion, like she did.
“You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything
to gain if something that was missed is
found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key,” said Rita.
Since the first Celebrating Women luncheon in 2000, more than $26 million has
been raised to help Baylor Scott & White
Health – North Texas, fight breast cancer.
These donations have supported advanced
diagnostic equipment, innovative clinical
research, and most importantly, safe, quality, compassionate care for Baylor’s patients
and families.
Tom Thumb will serve as presenting
sponsor for the 12th consecutive year, and
this year’s luncheon will be chaired by
A ileen Pratt with Gloria Eulich
Martindale serving as underwriting
chairman. Diane and Joel Allison will
serve as this year’s honorary chairmen.
Each year, approximately 1,200 passionate men and women attend the Celebrating
Women luncheon in a show of support for
Baylor’s efforts to fight the disease.
“Thanks to the generous support we’ve
received over the past 16 years, we are not
just cheering on breast cancer patients from
the sidelines. We are actively fighting alongside them,” said Rowland K. Robinson,
president of Baylor Health Care System
Foundation. “Every donation in support of
Celebrating Women has had a positive ripple effect on breast cancer treatment and
care for our patients and their families. It’s
truly inspiring to see our community come
together year after year with such tremendous enthusiasm for this cause – one that
touches us all.”
For information about underwriting
opportunities and tickets to Celebrating
Women, call 214.820.4500 or email
[email protected].
Sponsorship and under-writing opportunities
are available; individual tickets start at $250
and table prices start at $2,500.
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