Actress and Breast Cancer Survivor Edie Falco the Featured Speaker at Monmouth Medical Center’s 29th Annual Power of Pink Luncheon

Keynote speaker Edie Falco gathers with, from left, RWJBarnabas Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Manigan, Caitlin Olson, Vice President of Development, MMC and MMC Southern Campus (MMCSC); and Eric Carney, President and Chief Executive Officer, MMC and MMCSC.

Long Branch, NJ, July 29, 2024 - The 29th annual Power of Pink Luncheon, a premiere fund-raiser benefitting cancer services at Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) drew an audience of nearly 500 to hear a fireside chat with famed stage and screen actor Edie Falco. The event also included a special award presentation by New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy.

The 2024 event held July 18th, a signature event for MMC's Foundation, raised record proceeds of more than $700,000 for MMC cancer services. The luncheon program featured a conversation with Falco, a breast cancer survivor who is best known for her role as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos and for her Emmy Award-winning performances as the title role in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie. The conversation was moderated by Molly Kroon, a former on-air TV reporter who is now a local video producer.

Falco was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and went public with her diagnosis the following year, sharing during her remarks that if she can provide hope to just one person facing the same journey it was worth it. In honor of her role as Nurse Jackie, Falco was presented with personalized pink MMC scrubs.

New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy presented the annual Judith W. Dawkins Ambassador of Excellence Award to Rumson resident and MMC Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Claire Knopf. The award, established to commemorate Judi's more than 20-year service to the MMC Board of Trustees and legacy as a tireless advocate, is given to someone who exemplifies her visionary guidance, exceptional leadership and uses the highest ethical standard for the betterment of MMC patients and families.

Judith W. Dawkins Ambassador of Excellence Award honoree Claire Knopf, Chair, MMC Foundation Board Chair and Co-Chair for the Leon Hess Cancer Center Council, is shown second from right with, from right, N.J. First Lady Tammy Murphy, Caitlin Olson and Eric Carney.

Like Judi, Claire has been deeply rooted in philanthropy at MMC for the past 24 years, and also served on the leadership team as a trustee since 2015. Her impact spans a broad spectrum, stretching back to the early days when she started as a committee member, then the chair, and host for the Power of Pink. From there, she advanced to the role of co-chair of the Leon Hess Cancer Center Council, ultimately assuming the position of Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees. In accepting her award, she said that as Judi's friend, she was honored and humbled to receive this award and continue her legacy.

"I know Judi is looking down now and thinking, 'Amazing! Look how far we have come'," Knopf said "I am proud that my service at Monmouth Medical Center has led up to this moment of the 29th Annual Power of Pink -- raising funds for the new cancer care facility at the Vogel Medical Campus. Together under this tent we are improving the lives of others in our community."

The luncheon, presented by dedicated MMC Foundation community leaders who make up the Leon Hess Cancer Center Council, was once again held at the Rumson waterfront home of Amy and Daniel Reich. The event was co-chaired by Sima Yakoby Epstein and Debbie Menkowitz, along with boutique co-chairs Jessica Buchner and Michelle Kutsak.

The Power of Pink Luncheon raises funds to enhance the care delivered to oncology patients at MMC. Its dedicated volunteers have raised more than $7 million over 29 years to benefit the hospital's cancer services. This year, proceeds from the event will benefit a cancer wellness and recovery unit at the new Vogel Medical Campus, which will offer seamless access to comprehensive cancer care together with Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Eric Carney, President and CEO of MMC and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, thanked the events hosts and organizers, telling them that the programs they've helped support transform cancer care into a compassionate human patient care experience.

"Dan & Amy, thank you for challenging us to bring even more of our friends and supporters to your beautiful home," he said. "The funds we raise today will be used to create a unique wellness spa and shop at our Vogel Medical Campus under construction now at Fort Monmouth in Tinton Falls. This new campus will expand and centralize our world-class care to meet this community's growing needs in a new, modern facility."

In his remarks, RWJBarnabas Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Manigan noted that the warmth, kindness and patient-centeredness that MMC is known for are essential to the system's efforts to expand access to world-class care and transform cancer care in our communities.

"Together with the Rutgers Cancer Institute, our goal is to take cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention into the future," he said. "We are taking a giant leap forward with the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, New Jersey's first freestanding cancer hospital, along with the new construction of the Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and the Vogel Medical Campus, which is currently under construction right here in Tinton Falls. These three facilities will be a beacon of hope for so many - expanding our footprint across the state, providing so much more than just cancer care."

To learn more about the Vogel Medical Campus, visit rwjbh.org/vmc. To learn how you can support Monmouth Medical Center, visit www.rwjbh.org/monmouth-medical-center/giving/

Contact: Elizabeth Brennan
732-606-6428
[email protected]

Kathy Horan
732-546-6317
[email protected]