A Pink Event 2026 - Free & open to the community
Know Your CAN.
From Information to Action.
Know Your Risk - Know Your Options - Nourish Your Health - Take Your Next Step
An interactive afternoon around food, science, prevention, early detection, and genetic risk - built to help you leave with more than information: a personal next step and the resources to keep the conversation going with your family and your doctor.
Date
Sat, Oct 24, 2026
Time
3:00 PM
Venue
West Piedmont Higher Education Center
191 Fayette St, Martinsville, VA
Admission
Free
The CAN in cancer
Take Control And Navigate your health
A Pink Event 2026 continues MLC's focus on the CAN in cancer - *Take Control And Navigate your health* - and brings the UVA-supported CANversational Kit to life for our community.
The goal is simple: you should better understand your risks and options, identify one personal next step, and walk out with practical tools to keep the conversation going at home and with your care team.
3.5 Hours
Of Programming
Free
Health screenings
2
Featured speakers
Free health screenings
Blood glucose, A1C, blood pressure, BMI & mental health.
Screening & genetics
Cancer-screening navigation & genetic-testing education.
Cooking demo & tasting
Plant-forward collard greens & sweet potatoes, live.
Photo booth & I CAN Wall
Make a commitment, snap a photo, add it to the wall.
Agenda at a glance
Three and a half hours, built around you.
Come for the whole afternoon or drop in for what matters most. Screenings and genetic-testing sign-ups run before, during, and after the formal program.
2:00 - 3:00 PM - Pre-event
Screen - Learn - Connect - Capture
Free mobile screenings, cancer-screening & genetic-testing education and sign-ups, partner tables, and the MLC photo booth.
3:00 - 3:10 PM - Welcome
KNOW YOUR CAN
Welcome, opening prayer, the Myrtle Lee Carter story, MLC's impact, and recognition of our sponsors and partners.
3:10 - 3:55 PM - Food & science
NOURISH YOUR HEALTH
Shaune Hayes on plant-forward eating, a live collard greens & sweet potato cooking demo, and a tasting with take-home recipes.
3:55 - 4:25 PM - Risk & options
KNOW YOUR RISK & OPTIONS
Dr. Tiffany Morris walks through the CANversational Kit and her V.O.I.C.E. advocacy framework - family health tree, risk checklist, and screening & genetic-testing education.
4:25 - 4:35 PM - Impact
I CAN GIVE
A look at the patients MLC serves and a giving moment - every gift funds direct assistance and prevention.
4:35 - 4:55 PM - Action
TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP
Complete your I CAN Card, add it to the I CAN Wall, hear about the CANpaign of Giving, giveaways & closing.
4:55 - 5:30 PM - Post-event
ACT ON YOUR CAN
Screenings continue, one-on-one partner conversations, genetic-testing sign-ups, recipes & resources, and the photo booth.
Featured voices
Two conversations you'll want a seat for.
Dr. Tiffany Morris
DNP, MSN, MS Ed., RN, CNE
Director, School of Nursing
North Carolina A&T State University
Know Your Risk & Options
Find your V.O.I.C.E.
A registered nurse since 1994 and a Certified Nurse Educator, Dr. Morris brings more than three decades across clinical nursing, academic leadership, and community health. Raised in Martinsville, she has built her career on health equity for underserved communities — leading community-engaged initiatives like NCAT C.A.R.E.S. and its Mobile Health Unit that bring culturally responsive care into the neighborhoods that need it most.
Her work centers on patient advocacy — helping people move from fear and silence to confidence in their own care. Through her "Advocacy and U" program with the Sisters Network of Greensboro, she created the V.O.I.C.E. Framework™, giving survivors practical tools to question their treatment, understand their medications, and never walk into an appointment alone.
Verify
Own
Inquire
Clarify
Engage
"Generational Health is Generational Wealth."
Shaune Hayes
Plant-Based Culinary Educator & Health Coach
Nourish Your Health
From Science to the Plate
A food-and-health conversation, then a live cooking demo of collard greens & sweet potatoes - familiar, culturally-relevant foods prepared in healthier ways. Guests leave with take-home recipes and a simple challenge to try in their own kitchens.
Know
your family history and your risk.
Check
your screening history — and what's next.
Ask
your healthcare provider the right questions.
The takeaway
Five words to carry home.
Act
on a next step toward screening or testing.
Share
the kit and the info with your family.
Your I CAN card
Pick one thing you CAN do.
Every seat has an I CAN Card. Before you leave, choose the next step that's right for you, then add your card to the I CAN Wall and snap a photo to mark the moment.
The I CAN Wall
A few of the commitments guests make.
✓ Schedule a screening
✓ Know my numbers
✓ Complete my Family Health Tree
✓ Talk with my healthcare provider
✓ Ask about genetic counseling
✓ Talk with family about our history
✓ Eat more plants
✓ Prepare one of Shaune's recipes
✓ Prioritize my mental health
✓ Share my CANversational Kit
MLC's December signature
CANpaign of Giving — 31 Days, 31 Blessings.
At A Pink Event we'll spotlight MLC's signature December initiative — 31 days of direct blessings for neighbors facing cancer. It's how the room's energy turns into year-end help for real families, and how you can share the opportunity with someone who needs it.
UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center
Supporting the Know Your CANpaign & CANversational Kit.
West Piedmont Higher Education Center
Our host for the afternoon in Martinsville.
Screening & genetic-testing partners
On-site education, navigation & follow-up.
With thanks
Made possible by our partners.
Become a sponsor
Help us touch lives in our community.
A Pink Event is a cancer-awareness symposium and fundraiser. Our 2025 event raised over $30,000 — helping cancer survivors with travel and medical expenses during treatment and funding genetic testing for many families. Your sponsorship keeps that work going.
Signature level
Diamond · $7,000
✓ Signature sponsorship of special event activities
✓ Three tickets to the "CAN" Party / Reception
✓ Distribute information & promotional materials
✓ Prominent display of signage
✓ Company name displayed on nametags
✓ Literature display & placement at booth / table
✓ Logo on all marketing, PR, resource literature & social media
✓ Prominent placement on the program
✓ Presentation at the event
$1,000
Bronze
✓ Signage at the event
✓ Literature in participant bags
✓ Logo on all marketing, PR & resource literature
✓ Logo on website for one month
$5,000
Crystal
✓ Prominent signage at the event
✓ Literature display at booth / table
✓ Logo on all marketing, PR & resource literature (incl. program)
✓ Logo on website for six months
✓ Presentation at the event
$3,500
Gold
✓ Signage at the event
✓ Literature display & placement at table / booth
✓ Logo on all marketing, PR & resource literature
✓ Logo on website for three months
✓ Presentation at the event
$1,750
Silver
✓ Signage at the event
✓ Literature in participant bags
✓ Logo on all marketing, PR & resource literature
✓ Logo on website for one month
