When Ginny was diagnosed with breast cancer, her caring network of family and friends gathered around her to provide the strength and support she needed to battle the disease. Although we were there to assist her in any way we could, she inspired and uplifted us with her grace, courage, and humor. Not too long after her death in 2002, her family and others created The Red Devils to continue making an immediate and profound difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their families, helping loved ones enter or remain in treatment … just as they had done for Ginny.

My name is Pat Hargest. I grew up with Ginny and outside of other games of childhood, we grew closest in our years at IND.

Over the years, several IND alums have held leadership positions within The Red Devils, from serving on their board of directors, to participating as committee members. Many of you probably have attended or contributed to one of their fund-raising events, perhaps “Running with The Devils,” “Wine Women & Shoes,” or their “Bull and Oyster Roast.”

In my current role as the chair of their Fund Development Committee and as Ginny’s classmate, and inspired by our recent IND class reunion, I began a committee for The Red Devils called Friends of Ginny. My vision is our banding together in myriad ways as a tribute to one of our own to advance the mission of this organization that has done so much for so many.

Here’s how you can help make Friends of Ginny a reality. Support The Red Devils and the more than 750 families who turn to them each year. The first thing you can do is join Friends of Ginny by making a $100 donation to The Red Devils. Your gift will be designated to the Friends of Ginny Fund whose first act will be paying for the IND/Mercy game sponsorship ($1,000). My second request is that you agree to be part of the planning and leadership team. We’ll meet by email and conference call, perhaps even over a meal to refine our mission and activities, and how they synch with The Red Devils’ strategies and needs. We need a few strong women to put the foundation in place upon which we can build.

If you need more information about The Red Devils, their impact in the community or their fiduciary integrity, please visit their web site linked here. If you want to accept my invitation to join and/or lead, the link to do so is here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and giving serious consideration to becoming of Friend of Ginny. As I said, I am writing you with the best of intentions in the hope that you will join me in this extension of an IND legacy.

Gratefully,

Pat Hargest