Gloria Gemma Foundation to Paint Providence Pink at 7th Annual Flames of Hope

Providence, RI – (October 2, 2012) Mark your calendars! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation is hard at work planning the 7th Annual Flames of Hope: A Celebration of LifeTM, the largest breast cancer awareness event in the Northeast and the final full WaterFireTM lighting of the season.

Downtown Providence will be the pinkest place on the planet this Columbus Day Weekend— October 5, 6, and 7—as more than 100,000 Rhode Islanders take in educational exhibits, health screenings, food, arts, crafts, music, shopping, and lots of family fun. The focus of this yearʼs event, “Breast cancer is not just your grandmotherʼs disease,” is a slogan designed to highlight the new, younger face of the illness.

Flames of Hope: A Celebration of LifeTM begins with a kickoff event on Friday, October 5, at the Marriott, 1 Orms Street in downtown Providence. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:00 p.m. and the 2013 “Celebrate Hope, Celebrate Life” Calendar unveiling at 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, sponsored by Gem Plumbing, South County Hospital, and RI Rehabilitation Center this year, the calendar features twelve Rhode Island women who each received a breast cancer diagnosis before the age of 40—eleven survivors and Kate Kenworthy-Rodrigues who lost her life to breast cancer earlier this year.

The Education & Wellness Pavilion is an opportunity for Rhode Islanders to meet and learn from representatives of area hospitals and health care providers. The Interactive Health Zone will feature free health screenings and innovative health and wellness products. The Garden of Hope will focus on the Foundationʼs new horticultural therapy program, a collaboration with Craig Marciniak of Cumberland-based Tranquil Water Gardens. The Mastery Amphitheater will include the popular “Breaking Boards for Breast Cancer,” demonstrations, and instruction from Smithfield-based Mastery Martial Arts. The Healing Arts Pavilion is a chance for visitors to contribute to the Foundationʼs Starfish Project, a massive ongoing participatory public art installation. The Kitchen Stadium also opens at noon and will include healthy cooking demonstrations by local vendors, two appearances by Michelle Ragussis of “Food Network Star” fame—one at 1:00 p.m. and another at 4:00 p.m.—and the official launch of a Foundation-published and survivor-penned cookbook, A Gem of a Cookbook.

On Saturday, October 6 at 12:00 p.m., Flames of Hope: A Celebration of LifeTM continues with the official opening of Celebration Village. Located in Station Park, across Francis Street from Providence Place Mall, Celebration Village consists of several tents, each with a different focus.

“Celebration Village is really a way for us to feature all of the different kinds of programming we offer throughout the state all year long, but in one day and in one place,” said Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation Director of Signature Events & Operations, Bryan Sawyer.

At dusk, around 6:30 p.m., Miss USA 2012 Olivia Culpo will join breast cancer survivors and their loved ones at the Illuminations of Life Ceremony, the pinnacle event of the weekend.

During her reign, Miss USA 2012 Olivia Culpo plans to raise awareness and encourage research related to both ovarian cancer and breast cancer, the third leading cause of death from cancer in Rhode Island, Culpoʼs home state. From the State House, bathed in pink light for the event, participants will carry torches to the Providence River basin in memory of those who have lost their battles to breast cancer, and to light the way for those who have yet to begin their journeys. Sponsored by National Grid, the electrifying Illuminations of Life Ceremony concludes with one of the biggest and brightest WaterFireTM lightings of the year. This year, the Illuminations of Life Ceremony will feature special performances by vocalist John Pagano, a Rhode Island native who has been performing with Burt Bacharach for over ten years.