Imagine living in a world where no woman has to hear the words “you have breast cancer.” This was the mission at Susan G. Komen’s 10th annual Pink Tie Ball held at AV Irvine in May, which also marked the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary. Opulently attired guests walked a pink carpet and were greeted with a pink cocktail before a sunset reception. The sold-out celebration, themed “Carrying the Promise into the Future,” raised more than $700,000 for the organization’s breast health programs.
Lisa Wolter, executive director of Komen Orange County, kicked off the program by honoring the new class of distinguished businessmen who advocate for breast health, known as the Pink Tie Guys: Reginald Gilyard, Craig Glorioso, Douglas S. Ingram, Lupillo Ramirez, Mark Rutherford, Philippe Schaison and Joe Stein. “For more than a decade, our Pink Tie Guys have leveraged their strong community ties to help us engage more community leaders, raise more funds in support of the Komen mission and bring breast health awareness to their employees,” she said.
The partygoers departed with a bronze calla lily from the Herrmann family to memorialize Kathie Herrmann, lost to the disease. The flower, commissioned by artist Jerome Gastaldi, symbolizes the frailty of life and the power of promise: a world without breast cancer.
