The CancerKare Fund — a local charity established by Ponte Vedra residents Bill and Linda Adams to support breast cancer patients with treatment costs — is holding its second annual “Night of Wine & Roses” fundraising event Thursday, Jan. 25.
To be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Nocatee Welcome Center, the event will once again benefit The DONNA Foundation and be attended by Donna Deegan. Last year, the event raised $5,000 for the foundation. The Adamses created the CancerKare Fund following Linda’s own battle with breast cancer to help other women and men affected by the disease.
“Bill and I have always believed that life’s lemons should be made into lemonade,” said Linda Adams. “This event is our lemonade.”
With tickets costing $25 before Jan. 1 and $30 after, the fundraiser this year will most prominently feature a lottery for a $100,000 Jaguar F-Type British limited-edition car courtesy of Fields Auto Group. According to Bill Adams, only ticket holders get a chance to win the car, and they must be there in person. To enter the lottery, each ticket holder will enter a five-digit number of his/her choice into a laptop. A cloud-based software program will then run the lottery and provide immediate feedback if a ticket holder wins or loses. Bill will hold onto the winning number and reveal it to the audience at the end of the night if no one wins.
In addition to the lottery, the event will feature a football signing by a Jacksonville Jaguars player who will also speak at the event, as well as food from Chef Tony of Publix Aprons Cooking School, Dick’s Wings and Grill, Dunkin’ Donuts, Claude’s Chocolate and wine from Coastal Wine Market & Tasting Room. Flowers from Kuhn Flowers will also adorn the venue.
For the second consecutive year, the CancerKare Fund will present two awards: the “Breasty” award, which acknowledges individuals who contribute to the fight against breast cancer, and the “Fight for Life” award for a breast cancer warrior. Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery’s Dr. Brett Snyder — who performed Linda’s reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy and guided her through aftercare, surgery and recovery — will once again present the “Breasty” award. Zettie Beverly — the recipient of last year’s “Fight for Life” award and a two-time survivor of breast cancer who also has rheumatoid arthritis — will present this year’s award to this year’s recipient.
“As important as the event is, the most glaring experience I’ve had is the amount of people who have been affected by breast cancer,” said Bill Adams. “And hearing their stories … it’s been eye-opening.”
Also at the event, an auctioneer will auction off a $1,500 package from Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery, a four-person trip to a winery in Tuscany, a four-person golf trip to St. Andrews and a Jaguars signed football. Bill Adams, a local artist, will raffle off one of his paintings. In addition, the event will include a silent auction, with participants including Ponte Vedra Wellness Center, Daily’s, Napoli’s Pastaria, Hair Cuttery, Pieology, Beach Diner, The Loop and Mainstream Boutique.
Other sponsors include Tijuana Flats, NasCarts, Glenn Layton Homes, Pineapple Corporation and VyStar Credit Union. A platinum level sponsorship ($2,500) and a diamond level sponsorship ($5,000) are still available. All vendor sponsorships have been taken by Nocatee businesses. Contact Bill Adams at (973) 714-9228 with interest regarding those remaining sponsorships.
Tickets are limited to the first 200 people and can be purchased at 904tix.com/events/2nd-annual-a-night-of-wine-roses or cancerkarefund.org. All proceeds support the fight against breast cancer. The event is open to all people who have been affected by the disease or want to support the CancerKare Fund’s cause. Independent donations are welcome.
“The amount of information I learned since being diagnosed is staggering,” said Linda Adams. “The number of survivors is amazing, but we can’t give up the fight.”
