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Team WHIP hosted its first “Loving the Pink” Gala on Saturday. The gala served as Team WHIP’s sixth annual luncheon this year. 

“The importance of the luncheon was learning to love who we are and what we become, and being a cancer survivor, some days it’s hard to love what you become,’ said Team WHIP Director Narfunda Ross. 

During the evening, guest speaker Dr. Crystal Pugh spoke about pushing forward even after facing obstacles. Pugh, from Atlanta, is a pastor, two-time breast cancer survivor and a serial entrepreneur in things like finance, women’s empowerment and community development.

“Her encouraging words to us were to keep moving forward. No matter what we’ve endured in life, we have to keep moving forward,” Ross said.

Team WHIP partnered with Purge Nation, which hosted and catered the gala. Other sponsors for the event were Chambers County Development Authority, Sip Cafe and BEETV. For entertainment, Hasan Green and the Rehobeth Band performed live.

It hosted approximately 42 breast cancer patients and survivors. One of Team WHIP’s partners, the Gene Machine from Auburn University, was also in attendance at the event. According to Ross, though they didn’t meet their fundraising goal, Team WHIP gained five new members from the event.

“We raised awareness, and we gained about five new followers — five new survivors. So I think that was a little bit more important than funds. God will make a way for us to find the funds,” Ross said.