The 15th Annual Celtic Club Fights Cancer event took place on the West Main Street bridge over the Cuyahoga River in downtown Kent on Oct. 18. The Club displayed bras to help raise cancer awareness. The display, which began as Bras Across the Crooked River in 2010 to promote breast cancer awareness, now promotes awareness of all cancers. Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala, as is his custom, was on hand to help put up the display.
The Celtic Club has had forty-four bridge displays in seven Northeast Ohio counties- Cuyahoga, Lake, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit and Tuscarawas- and has donated over eleven thousand bras to battered women’s shelters. Some of the displays were over nine hundred feet long.
One in eight women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime- there were 1,752,735 in 2019 alone- and men are not immune from this dread disease.
The Kent bridge display this year was in honor of Sharon Beard, a 68-year-old retired bank branch manager from Waynesburg in Stark County. Sharon is a twenty-one-year survivor of cervical cancer and a Celtic Club volunteer. She has two children and four grandchildren.
Sharon stated she “would like to thank Dr. Stephanie Wineburg and Dr.Michael Hopkins for their support and care “during her cancer diagnosis and treatment- and her family and late husband, John, who passed away from lung cancer- for their love and support.” When you hear the word cancer, it’s very scary. That is why I support this Cancer Awareness event- for all the survivors and families of the people who have lost loved ones and friends to this horrific disease.”
Celtic Club President James Collver said the Club has received numerous proclamation/commendations over the years. Former United States Senator Rob Portman wrote, ” Thank you for hosting the Celtic Club Fights Cancer Program and all of your ongoing efforts to raise awareness for cancer survivors. This issue is very important to me and my family and I am grateful for the efforts of groups like yours who help raise awareness of this horrible disease.”
Former United States Senator Sherrod Brown wrote, “Cancer is a devastating disease for both sufferers and families of those who have been diagnosed. Actions such as today’s event must be taken in order to raise awareness to fight this disease in it’s many virulent forms. I applaud the efforts of the Celtic Club. The display will not only serve as a visual representation of a community gathering together to fight cancer but will benefit battered women’s shelters as well.”
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor wrote, “I am pleased to offer my congratulations to the Celtic Club for their ongoing contribution to cancer awareness. The efforts made by your organization to draw attention to this dreadful disease are very commendable. Your organization should be very proud of the work that you have done and continue to do.”
Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and a cancer survivor, wrote, “I am delighted to offer my congratulations to the Celtic Club on your contribution to the breast cancer cause. The work you do through your events is extremely noble. I remain grateful to organizations such as yours for inspiring women, spreading awareness about this disease and leading the fight to find a cure once and for all!”
Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon A. Steinbrechner wrote, “The Mid-American Conference is very proud of the membership’s commitment to your cause from the beginning in Kent, Ohio to the incredible recent support from The University of Akron. Your dedication to the battle against this disease is outstanding and we wish you nothing but the best in your continued efforts!”.
State Senator Dr. Vernon Sykes wrote, ” I am pleased to extend a special recognition to the Celtic Club of Ohio on the occasion of its annual bridge bra display. The Club has been committed to raising awareness of Northeastern Ohioans to the devastating impact of cancer by its unique eclectic display of bras across major bridges throughout the region. It is with sincere pleasure that I commend the Celtic Club of Ohio and impress upon them the sincere gratitude of the 28th Senate District, which has and will continue to benefit from their exceptional advocacy, philanthropy and benevolence.”
The General Division Judges of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas wrote, “This annual event is a tremendous asset to Summit, Stark and Portage Counties and…is highly commendable. We are proud to have your group in our community taking these excellent strides toward helping those with breast cancer and raising community awareness.”
