Greater ATL Hadassah Supports Breast Cancer Research

Groundbreaking Event Aims to Raise Funds For Cancer Research

By Anna Streetman | AJT Editorial Intern

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, the Greater Atlanta Hadassah will be holding a fundraiser unlike any other.

The event will take place October 26 at the Cancer Support Community. It’s called Breast Strokes: Hadassah Bares All for A.R.T. A.R.T. stands for awareness, research, and treatment.

One of the Painted Torsos

For the event, 30 women will be painted in the nude from the neck to the navel. They will be painted in elaborate and beautiful designs by local female artists. Female photographers will then photograph the painted women. The photographs will be available for purchase at an art auction on February 28, 2015 at the Westside Cultural Arts Center. This has never been done by Greater Atlanta Hadassah before.

Each woman has her own reason for participating. Some of them are breast cancer survivors themselves. Holly Strelzik, one of the co-chairs for the event, says of the women: “Their stories are compelling. These are brave and courageous women.”

The event is also celebrating the Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s 20^th anniversary of the “Check It Out” program. The program, in partnership with Northside Hospital, has educated 35,000 young women in local high schools and sororities about breast cancer and early detection.

Strelzik has said that the event is groundbreaking and has never been done before. She also has said: “This event is all about raising money for cancer research. We need to do it now so that our daughters and granddaughters don’t have to.”

The Greater Atlanta Hadassah chapter was founded in 1916 and has over 3,600 members. Members come together to raise funds in support of Hadassah’s hospitals and projects in Israel and its programs in the United Sates, to promote issues of women’s health and family well being, to educate, to advocate, and to have fun.

For more information and Hadassah’s Breast Strokes Gala, please visit www.hadassah.org/atlanta/breaststrokes.

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