JLY Pink Ribbon Tea set for breast cancer survivors

BOARDMAN — The Junior League of Youngstown will host its 15th annual Pink Ribbon Tea for area breast cancer survivors at 11 a.m. Monday at The Georgetown, 5945 South Ave.

The luncheon is designed to unite women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and to celebrate their life and survival, and will include a door prize raffle and Chinese auction. Although it is free to breast cancer survivors, reservations are required and can be made by calling the league office at (330) 743-3200.

The keynote speaker at the luncheon will be Geralyn Lucas, a breast cancer survivor and the author of “Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy.” A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, editorial producer at “20/20” for seven years and director of public affairs at Lifetime Television, she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27.

Lucas left Lifetime in 2008 to work on a screenplay and to continue her advocacy work.

Her book, “Why I Wore Lipstick,” was produced as a television movie by Lucas, who used her own adversity as a platform for examining issues all young women face. It chronicles her decision to go public with her disease despite fears about the backlash at work.

Lucas, who lives in New York with her husband, Tyler, and their children, recovered from mastectomy and chemotherapy, and had a baby in the same hospital where she was treated for cancer.

The Pink Ribbon Tea is a project of sustaining members of the Junior League of Youngstown. Committee members are Cindy Bennett, Sue Brown, Pat Butto, Gloria Detesco, Leilani Drake, Janet Gbur, Ingrid Lundquist, Sally Mc- Kelvey, Anna Marie Newman, Evelyn Olenick, Helen Paes, Paula Stefanski, JoAnn Stock, and Sue Tebilcock; and Susan Berny and Annette Camacci are cochairs.