Jan 22, 2023 4 min read

Looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday and help the fight against pediatric cancer? On Feb. 4, the American Cancer Society and GBU Life will host the 27th annual Washington County Dinner Dance at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe Town Center in Canonsburg.

American Cancer Society’s Northeast Region Development Manager Kelsey Reese is excited about this important event.

“This event is important because it is an opportunity for the Southwestern PA community to have fun while joining in on the fight against cancer, specifically pediatric cancer,” Reese said.

The Dinner Dance was founded in 1996 by a group of friends that wanted to find a way to raise money to fight cancer. They had seen the devastation of the disease and wished to find a way to end and ease the pain it causes. Before the second annual dinner dance, one of the founding members, Craig W. Gnagey Sr., passed away from lung cancer. The rest of the members decided to continue the event in his memory, and to this day, Gnagey’s family remains involved.

The American Cancer Society’s pediatric cancer initiative, Gold Together, will be the focus of the evening.Gold Together works to make it easier for people to help fundraise for the organization. The money raised goes directly to support research and education and advance cancer prevention efforts, so children affected by cancer will not have to suffer later in life.

“While raising money for pediatric cancer research and services is the focal point of the event, we are also planning for this year’s event to be the best Washington County Dinner Dance yet! Our committee has put in countless hours since 2020 to ensure the gala is exciting, eventful, and impactful for all those in attendance,” said Reese.

Reese said the event honors the lives of those affected by cancer and their families. The 2022 Survivor Ambassador is Athena Georgagis, who survived childhood cancer. In March of 2022, she was diagnosed with AML Leukemia and spent 120 days out of 150 from March until August in the hospital receiving treatment. She is currently cancer free and attends PennWest California University.

Local artist and cancer survivor from Washington, Pa., Jim Sulkowski, will also be honored during the event. Over the past 25 years, he has donated much of his original art to the American Cancer Society.

A new component of the event added last year will reappear this year, called the Washington Elite. This is an ambassador leaderboard consisting of individuals nominated by the Dinner Dance committee to fundraise for pediatric cancer research and services. The 2022 Elite Ambassadors include Maria Allshouse, Rocco Cozza, Carole DeAngelo, Sam Fee, Ben Reese, Erica Shulsky, and Paula and Zach Willis. As well as Libby Jungo, a survivor of primary mediastinal large B-Cell lymphoma is also a childhood cancer survivor.

Reese said she, the committee, and the American Cancer Society are most excited to host the event in person again after two years of virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even though events halted during the pandemic, cancer diagnoses did not. From March of 2020 until now, there have been approximately 30,000 new pediatric cancer diagnoses; these children and their families rely on groundbreaking research, assistance programs, and other initiatives funded by the American Cancer Society through events like the Washington County Dinner Dance,” said Reese.

Tickets can be purchased online until Jan. 25 at wcdinnerdance.givesmart.com.

Tickets cost $85 for an individual ticket or $150 for a couples’ ticket. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the dress code is cocktail or business casual.

Sponsored content brought to you by American Cancer Soiciety.