American Cancer Society Diamond Gala of the Keys VIP Reception

Sponsors of the American Cancer Society’s Diamond Gala of the Keys were honored recently at a VIP Reception held at the home of Yvette and Kevin Talbott.

The Diamond Gala of the Keys will be held on April 28 at The Key West Theater.  Themed “A Night at Studio 54”, the event brings together local corporate, government and philanthropic leaders to honor those who battled cancer and won and remember those who lost the fight.

This year’s event will honor local real estate broker Bascom L. Grooms, IV as the Champion of Hope.  Diagnosed June 17, 2016 with throat cancer, Bascom went through a treatment plan of 7 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy from July 7, 2016 to August 24, 2016.

As a sponsor of the 2016 Gala, Bascom was at last year’s Gala listening to 2016 Champion of Hope Frankie Gutierrez talk about his cancer journey.

“Never did I image that I would be diagnosed with cancer soon after that night,” said Bascom.  “Honesty, I felt great and was probably in the best physical shape of my life at the time.”

Those who have known Bascom over the years have enjoyed his awesome voice.  From Key West High School Chorus days, to Rotary Club song, and even special appearances with the Spectrelles, Bascom has been a crowd pleaser for years!  His fans are so happy to know that not only has he fought throat cancer and won, he can still belt a song and bring a smile to everyone’s face when he does!

“A Night at Studio 54” will include dancing to the disco sounds of the 70’s, the best of disco entertainment by the divas of the disco era brought to you by Baby T and her crew, an exquisite meal, live and silent auction filled with vacations, “experiences”, spa days, jewelry and more.   

For more than 100 years, the American Cancer Society has worked relentlessly to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. In the Keys, the annual gala raises money to provide services to cancer patients, as well fund research to put an end to cancer.

“We are passionately committed to fighting every cancer and helping every community,” explained Jill Cranney-Gage, this year’s Chair of the Diamond Gala of the Keys.  “We have all experienced the loss of family and friends to cancer. With your help and continued support, we will keep making progress in someday making our world cancer-free.”

“While research is the heart of the American Cancer Society’s mission, the funds raised from this event also help to provide the much needed services and programs for cancer patients and their families here in the Keys,” explained Cranney-Gage.  “We offer programs like Road to Recovery, which provides free rides to cancer treatments; Reach to Recovery, which supports people with breast cancer.”

In addition to the Joe and Lindy Roth Foundation, the event is also sponsored by Lower Keys Medical Center, First State Bank of the Florida Keys, Historic Tours of America, Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina, Janice Bailey Nicowski, Frank Toppino, and Kim and Jeremy Wilkerson.

The American Cancer Society has been leading the way to transform cancer from deadly to treatable, and from treatable to preventable.  One hundred years ago, the word “cancer” was not spoken and most people died from the disease. Today, thanks in a large part to the work of the American Cancer Society; two out of three people survive cancer for more than five years.  The goal is to change that statistic to three out of three…period!

The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots organization with more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday for every person battling cancer in every community. To date, there has been a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates.

Nationally, the American Cancer Society’s goal is to raise $100 million dollars to do more research, to conduct more tests and studies, and in the end, to save more lives.

Locally, you can join the fight by contacting Suzi Youngberg, 305-393-6830 or [email protected]  or visiting the event’s website at

https://acsfdkw.ejoinme.org/2018keysgala where you can purchase tickets and make donations.  

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