Dear Friends of the Rivkin Center:
“Women’s Lives. Our Passion”. This underscores the core meaning of what the Rivkin Center does and why Dr. Saul Rivkin started this organization over 20 years ago to help women with ovarian cancer. Today our mission includes funding the best ovarian cancer research in the world and educating women about ovarian and breast cancer. Thank you for your continued support and passionate commitment to our cause.
The past few months have taught our Rivkin Center community that nothing is constant and change must always be embraced with confidence. Adapting to the “New Normal” is not something we have experienced in some time in this country and the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is real and we have been coming together as a community to help fight the spread of this virus. This battle is far from over, but we can make changes at the Rivkin Center and pivot our efforts to continue our important mission to benefit the women we are committed to serve.
The Rivkin Center is engaged in the following steps to ensure that we all emerge as better stewards of our mission.
Serving our community
- The entire Rivkin Center team is working remotely and following all the appropriate practices to prevent transmission of the virus. Our team is staying engaged through the use of various communication tools, connecting often and effectively. We look forward to connecting with you similarly, as appropriate.
- We’ve worked with Dr. Dan Veljovich, Gynecological Oncologist and Rivkin Center Board Member to address questions from our patient and survivor community on how to manage care during the outbreak. We hope this will provide important information during these uncertain and evolving times. Read the FAQs of Cancer and COVID-19.
- Our inaugural Teal Town Hall event is now rescheduled for September 12th at the Space Needle to bring together and celebrate our ovarian cancer patient and survivor community, and share the latest breakthroughs in ovarian cancer research and treatment We hope by September the event will be possible, but rest assured the health and well-being of our community is the first priority and we will evaluate accordingly.
Fueling ovarian cancer research
- We are very excited to announce that we have completed our 2020 Scientific Grant Awards reviews and will be funding $810,000 in awards to nine talented and committed researchers, as ovarian cancer research cannot wait and work done now will help women in future years. The three Scientific Scholar Awards and six Pilot Study Awards funded this year address important areas of ovarian cancer research including novel treatments, overcoming chemotherapy resistance, immunotherapy, and developing a better understanding of disease to guide prevention and early detection efforts. Stay tuned for more details on these ground-breaking projects!
- The Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium, presented in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research, will bring together the international ovarian cancer research community from September 26-28. As the event is six months away, we are moving ahead with plans to hold the event in Seattle at the Hyatt Regency for now. We are also developing a contingency plan in the case we need to shift the format to a “Virtual Symposium” so that we can provide an important platform for the exchange of ideas and new knowledge on ovarian cancer. We will continue to monitor the situation closely to make decisions regarding format in a timely manner (by end of April).
Educating individuals on ovarian and breast health
- We are disappointed that the pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly 100 Rivkin EDU programs on college campuses, in community settings and at workplaces this spring. We have been in communication with all workshop hosts and community/campus partners, and everyone is eager to reschedule their workshops as soon as we are certain it is safe to do so for all attendees, instructors, survivors, and ambassadors. We are using this time to reassess our education program strategy and plan for the future, including Digital Expansion, particularly given the unique time we are in.
- We proudly launched a digital ovarian and breast cancer risk assessment quiz in December 2019, known as the Assess Your Risk tool on our website which serves to help identify individuals who are at risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Identifying individuals who are at high risk can have a direct impact on prevention of ovarian, breast, and other cancers in those individuals and their close family members. Please go to the site, take the quiz and tell other individuals you know about the quiz. We are working with an international consulting firm on our strategic plan for growth and distribution, scaling, and evaluation of the Assess Your Risk tool.
Raising vital funds through our signature events
- At the Rivkin Center, the health, safety, and well-being of our community is top priority. With the evolving COVID-19 situation, we currently still hope to host our SummeRun & Walk for Ovarian Cancer in person on July 12, 2020. We are however in the process of preparing for changes that will enable a virtual event if necessary. We will be working closely with team captains as they sign-up and help drive this very important fundraising event for our organization to raise the vital funds needed to help the women who have fought, are fighting, or will fight this disease in the future. We will be in touch with more details.
- Our Family & Friends Auction has become a signature event of the year for the Rivkin Center as well as the party of the year. Last November we raised over $1.5 million through the great generosity of our community. We will need your help more than ever raising important funds for the Rivkin Center through this event – please save the date for November 7, 2020.
I am committed along with the entire Rivkin Center team to helping our community become an even stronger force in helping the women we serve live longer and healthier lives. We look forward to keeping in touch with you, updating you on our progress and continuing to be a leading funder of ovarian cancer research globally while educating women to understand their body and be in charge of their health. We are in this together.
Please stay cautious and stay well! If you have any questions about the Rivkin Center please feel free to call me at 425-503-7448 or email at joe.white@swedish.org.
Thank you,
Joe White, Executive Director
Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer