Ascension Parish Cancer Patients to Benefit from Generous Donation

Gonzales Area Foundation funds to provide vital cancer support for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center patients

(Gonzales, LA) – In its continued effort in making cancer prevention and treatment in Ascension Parish available to everyone in need for generations to come, the Gonzales Area Foundation recently donated $80 thousand to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales. The funds will be used to provide vital services and programs at no cost for cancer patients and their loved ones in Ascension Parish. One of the programs that will benefit from the donation is the Cancer Center’s survivorship initiative, which helps ensure the Cancer Center provides advanced support for patients and their families in the form of support groups, exercise classes, educational events and much more. Another portion of the proceeds are directed toward the Cancer Center’s early detection Prevention on the Go Program, which includes the highly successful Live Well Ascension event. These prevention and early detection services are essential in finding cancer in its earliest stage when better outcomes are more likely. “The Cancer Center’s ability to provide vital resources to our patients in need in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is in large part due to the generous support of community groups like the Gonzales Area Foundation,” said Todd Stevens, president and CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “We thank the Foundation for its tremendous continued support of our mission to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer.” Since 2016, the Gonzales Area Foundation has contributed more than $1.5 million dollars to the Cancer Center to ensure the highest quality of cancer care for the people of Ascension Parish. “With patients and their caregivers needing support like never before during this unprecedented time of COVID-19, we are proud to be able to continue our support of Mary Bird Perkins,” said DeEtte DeArmond, Gonzales Area Foundation. “Raising this amount of money in the midst of the pandemic shows the commitment this community has to helping one another. We look forward to continuing our support in the years to come to help provide essential needs for patients in the future.” To learn more about Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales, visit marybird.org/gonzales.   About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for almost 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at nine centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma, Gonzales, Zachary and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.