When a team is united in their purpose and passion, incredible things can happen. For Dr. JoAnn Krivetzky and Karen Ayers, this is exactly how they describe the impact of their Quarter Auction Fundraiser that benefits Aultman’s CancerCare Fund.

JoAnn and Karen share a strong bond; they are colleagues turned friends who met while working in labor and delivery at Aultman Hospital. When JoAnn opened her own gynecology practice, Karen joined and the two worked together for nine years. The practice had a special focus on cancer prevention and caring for those affected by cancer. Additionally, the team desired to do more to help individuals in their cancer journeys.

This led JoAnn and Karen to coordinate an American Cancer Society Stark County Relay for Life team. Passionate about the cause, their team synergy flowed into their philanthropic efforts – they even received several recognitions for their service.

Eventually, their paths brought them back to Aultman Hospital, where Karen serves as a cancer patient navigator and Dr. Krivetzky serves as vice president of medical affairs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo decided they wanted to fundraise again to help cancer patients. Their motivation was more personal this time: Karen is a cancer fighter, and both women have family members touched by cancer. For their new fundraiser, they chose to benefit Aultman patients and families directly.

In 2022, they reunited some of the previous Relay for Life team members and held their first Quarter Auction to benefit Aultman’s CancerCare Fund, which assists patients with expenses such as transportation, groceries, nutritional supplements, prescriptions, medical supplies (e.g., prosthetics, lymphedema supplies, etc.) and other costs often associated with cancer treatment. A year later, they held the second event at First Christian Church in Massillon. Over 220 individuals attended, and the team had to set up extra tables once the doors opened to accommodate the full crowd. The community rallied to support the event, raising over $9,300 for the CancerCare Fund.

When asked what they would share with other community groups interested in hosting their own fundraiser, Karen and JoAnn agreed on the key to success: “Gather a strong group of people and commit to the cause. It will give you the motivation to keep going.”

If you’re interested in hosting a community fundraiser to benefit Aultman programs and services, please call The Aultman Foundation team for more details at 330-363-4098.