Feb 24, 2025 4 min read

By Mike Albanese

One year after eclipsing the $1 million mark, the American Cancer Society’s Gold Together Gala will celebrate its 29th anniversary on March 8.

Kelsey Reese, senior development manager of the northeast region of the American Cancer Society (ACS), said the event, themed “Lights, Camera, Cure,” has its sights on raising $80,000 in its fight against pediatric cancer.

Gold Together is the umbrella program within the ACS that specifically funds pediatric cancer.

The event began as the Washington County Dinner Dance and was started by a group of local volunteers who wanted to come together and raise money for the ACS. One of the founding members, Craig Gnagey Sr., passed away from cancer before the second annual event.

His family is still heavily involved in the planning and execution of the event.

Reese said the ACS will also recognize its Southwestern Pennsylvania Elite Ambassadors. The Elite Ambassadors conduct their own fundraising for ACS and are recognized for their efforts at the gala.

This year’s ambassadors include:

•Athena Georgagis, a young adult from California, Pennsylvania, returning Elite Ambassador and AML leukemia survivor Carrie Beckett, owner of President’s Pub and Wild Hope Boutique in Washington

• Stephen Schmitt, longtime event volunteer and manager of client services at LINQ Pittsburgh

• Benjamin Reese of Washington, a returning Elite Ambassador

• Kathi Kernan, a Pittsburgh Berkshire Hathaway realtor

• The Driven by Hope Committee from Washington Auto Mall

• Kaitlin Bockstoce, a Trinity Senior High School student and employee at Pretzels Plus

• Izzy Heather and family; Heather is a Trinity Area School District student who recently beat childhood Ewing sarcoma and is the 2025 survivor ambassador for the event

Reese said about 9,550 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer in 2025, and 85% of children with cancer now survive five years or longer.

This is an improvement since the mid-1970s, when the survival rate was just 58%.

“Thanks to strides made in the field of research, funded by nonprofits like ACS, there are myriad new treatment techniques and early detection capabilities for childhood cancers,” Reese said. “Additionally, ACS has expanded their programs and services that can assist families dealing with a childhood cancer diagnosis that ultimately improve their quality of life during treatment and help tackle barriers to care.”

An example of this is the ACS Hope Lodge program, which provides patients and their families a free place to stay during treatment when they must seek care far from home. There are 31 Hope Lodge locations across the country — the closest being in Cleveland, Ohio. Hope Lodge saves cancer patients an estimated $61 million a year on lodging costs.

“Thanks to the steadfast dedication of nonprofits like the American Cancer Society, we hope to one day see a world where all cancer, and childhood cancers specifically, cease to exist,” Reese said.

Reese added that events like the Gold Together Gala over the past year have funded 272 free rides to and from cancer treatments, 537 nights of free lodging and 769 answers to critical cancer questions through ACS’s National Cancer Hotline and website. These numbers reflect the SWPA area only — thus showcasing the impact this event has on the local community.”

ACS is also currently funding $6 million in cancer research at the University of Pittsburgh.

“These incredible feats would not be made possible without the dozens of ACS events across SWPA that are composed of fierce, passionate and emboldened volunteers who share a commitment to our mission to end cancer as we know it, for everyone,” Reese said.

The event on March 8 will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe. Tickets can be purchased at ACSGoldGala.givesmart.com

Sponsored content brought to you by American Cancer Society.