Great Lakes Honda executives (from left) Gavin Lake, general manager; Megan Cresong, business development center manager; Joey Huang, president; Julia Love, marketing and social media manager; join Summa Health executives Melanie Lynch, M.D., medical director, multidisciplinary breast program; and David Custodio, M.D., president, Akron and St. Thomas Campuses.
Pink Ribbon Driven: Great Lakes Honda raises $10,000 for Summa’s Breast Health program
Breast cancer has impacted all of us in one way or another with one in eight women developing the disease throughout her lifetime, according to BreastCancer.org. That number includes many employees and their customers at Great Lakes Honda in Akron.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the auto dealership donated a portion of the proceeds for every vehicle sold in October for a total of $10,000 to Summa Health for cancer research and patient care.
“We are thrilled to give back to the numerous members of this community affected by this devastating disease. Thank you to our loyal customers for joining us in the fight to end breast cancer,” said president Joey Huang.
Several employees have some connection to breast cancer, including one of the women behind the awareness campaign, Megan Cresong.
“My friend is currently undergoing treatment at the Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Center for Breast Health at Summa,” she said, “and I had a lumpectomy when I was younger. So, it’s a very personal cause for me.”
The campaign also hit close to home for employee Ashley Wilkerson, whose mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor. “Painting the pink ribbon as we watched our donations grow was very inspiring,” she said.
Some car shoppers held back tears as they shared their experiences. One customer’s wife had lost her battle to cancer in recent months.
The good news is that today fewer women are dying from breast cancer as businesses like Great Lakes Honda bring awareness to fighting the disease.
Their auto showroom was decked out in pink all month to draw attention to the “Fight Like a Girl” campaign, garnering thousands of shares and likes on Facebook.
Spearheading social media efforts was Julia Love, marketing and social media manager. She was behind creative slogans such as “Breast cancer can kiss my bumper,” and “I told breast cancer to hit the road” to help drive home the message.
“We owe a lot to our customers who have supported Great Lakes Honda through the years, and we’re happy to do whatever we can to help our customers, community and family members affected by breast cancer, right here in Northeast Ohio,” she said.
For these reasons, general manager Gavin Lake said they chose to donate the proceeds to Summa’s Breast Health program because they wanted “to give back locally.”
The Great Lakes Honda team came to Summa Health to present the $10,000 check and a framed, painted pink ribbon to surgical oncologist Melanie Lynch, M.D., medical director of the multidisciplinary breast program, and David Custodio, M.D., president of Summa Health System – Akron and St. Thomas Campuses.
The proceeds will help ensure patients have access to high-quality, personalized care for any breast concern – from benign conditions to an abnormal mammogram, to diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship for breast cancer – in a single location, staffed with a multidisciplinary team of recognized breast specialists.
The painted pink ribbon, signed by each Great Lakes Honda employee, will now hang on the walls of the Williams Center for Breast Health on the Akron Campus of Summa as a reminder of one local business’s commitment to driving breast cancer awareness and dedication to cancer research and patient care for the Greater Akron community.
For more information about Summa Health Cancer Institute, call 330.375.7280 or visit our breast health site.
Every donation makes a difference at Summa Health. Visit SummaHealth.org/giving to learn more or to make a donation.