BATON ROUGE, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has awarded its three most prestigious awards to local leaders and organizations who have gone above and beyond to support the Cancer Center and its patients through philanthropy. They were recently celebrated at the Cancer Center’s “Our Community” celebration in Baton Rouge.
Terrell “Tee” Brown, Jr., was awarded the Hillar C. Moore, Jr., Memorial Outstanding Leadership Award. Each year, this award recognizes those whose service has made a significant and unique contribution to the Cancer Center’s philanthropic initiatives. Brown serves on the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Board of Directors, is a past board member of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves as president of GMFS Mortgage.
Philanthropy and giving back to their community come naturally to the Brown Family. His parents’ involvement in Junior League of Baton Rouge and support for LSU cemented his desire to invest in the community through service and philanthropy. While on the Cancer Foundation board, Brown helped establish a progressive network of men, known as the Investor Collective, devoted to enhancing and furthering the mission of Mary Bird Perkins.
The Louis D. Curet Memorial Volunteer Fundraiser Award was granted to the Benjamin Blanchard Memorial Foundation. This award recognizes an individual, organization, or foundation that has launched or led a significant philanthropic effort in support of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.
Thanks to years of generosity from this foundation, Mary Bird Perkins has been able to incorporate numerous cancer outreach services including a permanent source of funding to support St. Tammany and Washington Parishes and an infusion center named after Blanchard.
Named after Benjamin “Ben” Blanchard, the foundation was founded in 2016 to be a legacy to the New Orleanian who succumbed to cancer at the age of 33. Blanchard loved South Louisiana and had a passion for serving his community, specifically the Greater New Orleans region after Hurricane Katrina. The foundation just recently donated $665,000 to Mary Bird Perkins, which led to the establishment of the Ben Blanchard Memorial Endowment Fund.
Board member, David S. Hanson, M.D., was awarded the D. Jensen Holliday Memorial Community Service Award. This award is presented annually to an individual whose vision and dedication have made a sustained and measurable difference in the fight against cancer.
Dr. Hanson is a retired medical oncologist in Baton Rouge who worked at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and was a member of Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates (LHOA) for 30 years advancing cancer care in our community.
Active in the community, Dr. Hanson served on the boards of Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Oncology Group, American Cancer Society, Hospice Foundation of Greater Baton Rouge and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. As board president of Cancer Services, he worked hard maintain the agency’s solid financial footing to ensure that the various direct assistance and support programs offered to cancer patients was secure for many years to come. Most notably focused on improving cancer care for the underserved, Dr. Hanson also played a major role in increasing access to clinical trials for minority and underserved cancer patients at Mary Bird Perkins, a national effort that will contribute to advancing cancer care for decades.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center also recognized supporters who have been added or moved up on the Cancer Center’s Our Community Wall. This wall recognizes individuals, corporations and foundations that have made a significant impact through their philanthropic support. The Wall represents those who are most committed and passionate about our mission.
The donors that were recognized are listed as follows:
- United Health Foundation
- Benjamin Blanchard Memorial Foundation
- McMains Foundation
- & Mrs. Allan B. Colley
- Mauti Cancer Fund
- B R & R Foundation
- OneOncology
- Kennan and Jonathan Bruser
- Monica and Kevin Courville
- Wendy Haspel Lipsey
- Bolte Family Foundation
“The work we do at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center would be impossible without the support of the community,” said Danielle Mack, vice president and chief development officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “As a nonprofit organization, we are proud to recognize the extraordinary community leaders who have played such a profound role in our ability to fulfill our mission. The importance of their help, and that of the wider community, cannot be overstated.”
To learn more about Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and to find information about charitable giving, visit marybird.org/giving.