GENEVA – As walkers massed in a sea of pink for the 26th annual Walk for the Cure Sunday afternoon, Sept. 20, at Geneva High School, an otherwise upbeat atmosphere was tinged with sadness as organizers and longtime supporters also honored the memory of the event’s late chairperson, Kellie McGinnis.
McGinnis passed away Nov. 8, 2025, at 56, following a second fight with breast cancer.
For Lori Vencill, Walk for the Cure registration chair, that made this year’s event intensely personal, emotional and meaningful.
“I’m doing the survivor ceremony,” she said through tears.
To honor her friend, Vencill and some of McGinnis’ friends, colleagues and family established the Kellie McGinnis Memorial Scholarship in her honor for local high-school graduates going into a postsecondary program in a health-related field.
Last year, three local students received awards, according to Vencill.
“I always say this has never been a walk,” she said. “For me, this is a fundraiser, it’s awareness, it’s education, it’s memory. For me, it’s a survivor ceremony.”
Some bereaved family members wore commemorative t-shirts honoring their lost loved ones while others honored someone who’d beaten breast cancer.
The Walk, hosted by University Hospitals Conneaut and Geneva medical centers, also featured fundraisers, such as a basket auction, 50/50 raffle and a cake auction.
The basket raffle alone had over 80 auction items.
“It’s just amazing, the community, what they’ve done,” Vencill said. “That’s what this is about: making money, doing research and, hopefully, preventing the next (diagnosis).”
Around 116 people had preregistered for this year’s Walk for the Cure, but Vencill said she anticipated around the same number of walkers as last year – about 200 – including those who register just before the walk.
“It just depends on this,” Vencill said, gesturing toward the lowering sky, threatening rain.
Funds raised at Walk for the Cure are kept 100 percent within the county to help pay for screening mammograms for uninsured or underinsured people whose coverage doesn’t pay for preventive care, according to Vencill.
If the screening results in something requiring further analysis, the funds can also help to cover the cost of a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound examination. Vencill said University Hospitals also has philanthropic funding to help with biopsies or treatment beyond that point.
According to Breastcancer.org, women should begin routine breast cancer screenings at age 40. Women with a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors should speak with their physician about screening as early as age 30 or even 25, depending on their risk.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
