Choose You Blog

To see more images from the event, visit our Photo Slideshow!

On the evening of May 19, a group of people passionate about inspiring women to put themselves first and help prevent cancer gathered at the Met Pavilion in New York City. The stage was set for an extended preview of the Choose You documentary film as American Cancer Society leadership, representatives from Choose You sponsors (Sprite Zero, Walgreens, Sisley, Quest Diagnostics and Lady Foot Locker), celebrities, media, and othersdedicated to the cause arrived at the event. The room was decked out in Choose You blue and flowers to celebrate women’s health and cancer prevention.

Celebrity attendees included Academy Award-winning actress and Choose You documentary executive producer Hilary Swank, Molly Smith from 2S Productions and Go Go Luckey Entertainment, Jessica Breland of the New York Liberty (WNBA), Kelly Rutherford from Gossip Girl (CW) and Kate Snow, a correspondent for Dateline NBC. As Swank, clad in Isaac Mizrahi, mingled, she even stopped to notice the fashionable footwear of another guest! Attendees munched on fresh veggies, lamb meatballs and sorbet pops, and sipped a signature Sprite Zero Orange Bubbly mocktail.

Once the main event was underway, guests were welcomed by Cynthia LeBlanc, chair-elect of the American Cancer Society’s National Board of Directors, and Scott Bennett, National Vice President of Marketing from ACS. Next up, Kimberly Wright, Director, Mission Solutions for ACS, stepped in as the evening’s host. Choose You’s National Presenting Sponsors also spoke about their commitment to helping women stay well – Dr. Rhona Applebaum, Vice President, Chief Scientific and Regulatory Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, and Deborah Sabo, Vice President of Marketing for Walgreens both shared brief remarks about why they support women’s cancer prevention. Colleen Doyle, Director of Nutrition and Physical Activity at ACS, also spoke on the importance of women making the time to care for themselves, sharing both scientific and anecdotal reasons why women’s health is more important today than ever.

Finally, Hilary Swank took to the podium to introduce the Choose You documentary that she co-produced with Molly Smith, Julie Auerbach, Gary Auerbach and Tina Gazzerro from 2S Productions and Go Go Luckey Entertainment. She thanked everyone that participated in the documentary’s creation, especially one of the featured women, Jeannette Garcia, who traveled to New York for the event. The 8-minute preview was emotion-filled and piqued everyone’s interest in learning more about the stories of the three featured women.

Thankfully, everyone is invited the documentary’s online premiere! You can join us at ChooseYou.com or on Facebook at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 23 for the online premiere of the Choose You Documentary. Watch the documentary trailer here  and click here  to RSVP. We hope you can join us!

*Photo credit for all images: Mike Coppola/ Getty Images.