T.E.A.L.®’s nominated Volunteer of the Month for February!
Samantha has been a volunteer with T.E.A.L.® since 2016. She found out about the foundation when she was playing roulette in Las Vegas. A group of guys next to her were teasing a man for wearing a teal-colored shirt.
“The man told them to ‘knock it off’ — it was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We struck up a conversation and I told him I lost my right ovary and tube due to a 7-centimeter tumor six months prior.”
He told her he worked for a company involved in finding solutions for ovarian cancer. He asked for her card, and one day she received a call about an opportunity to work with T.E.A.L.® on a series of PSAs sponsored by a pharmaceutical company.
“I had stumbled upon T.E.A.L.®’s website when I was sick — so I was very excited to be able to tell my story.”
Samantha is an event planner in Greenville, S.C. She and the volunteer team of Southern Gala have planned and executed many large events benefiting T.E.A.L.®, including several New Year’s Eve galas, a battle of the sexes bartending event, wine dinners, and more.
“I have had the great fortune to plan and direct a series of events from wine dinners, guest bartending, and even our New Year’s Eve gala to benefit T.E.A.L.®. I am so lucky to have an amazing team of friends and coordinators who love giving back to T.E.A.L.®.”
To Samantha, she hopes her volunteering and fundraising for T.E.A.L.® leads to a screening test for ovarian cancer.
“I look at my efforts to support T.E.A.L.® as an opportunity to ensure that one day there will be a better and more effective screening process to find ovarian cancer early on. This will lower the fatality rate of the ‘silent killer,’ ovarian cancer. I love T.E.A.L.® because of their dedication to not just funding support and awareness, but their support to research projects.”
For anyone who is considering volunteering, Samantha says, “Do what you can, when you can. Every moment and every cent makes a difference.”
