A Community Comes Together to Help Triumph Over Skin Cancer

Although Lauren Savoy Olinde stood just five feet tall, she was a larger than life force to those who knew and loved her. Artistic and passionate, she was a born leader who served as president of her senior class at St. Joseph's Academy, as well as president of her sorority, Tri Delta, in college. She worked tirelessly to accomplish her dreams, even continuing to pursue her doctorate of pharmacy degree after being diagnosed with an aggressive melanoma skin cancer, ultimately living out her life-long goal of becoming a pharmacist and helping others.

In 2012, her life was tragically cut short at just 27 years old, but in the wake of their loss, her family and friends came together to form the Lauren Savoy Olinde Foundation with a mission to bring awareness to skin cancer and sun safety through community events and education programs. Led by Lauren's long-time best friend, Sarah Lomax Gray, and supported by her parents, the Lauren Savoy Olinde Foundation helped take the fight against skin cancer forward in our community.

In 2018, the Lauren Savoy Olinde Foundation established an endowed fund through the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation to continue its work on skin cancer education and early detection programs and services. In just three short years, the Lauren Savoy Olinde Endowment Fund reached its goal of raising over $100,000 to expand the vital resources needed for skin cancer education and early detection programs in our community and across the region. Their efforts are a testament to Lauren's legacy and her passionate fight against skin cancer. true community effort, the fund was supported by hundreds of Lauren's friends coming together for a common goal: to endow a fund in Lauren's honor.

"It was a real community effort," Nancy Savoy, Lauren's mother, said. "The outpouring of support in Lauren's honor came from the way she impacted everyone she came into contact with" Lauren's fund will continue to have a profound impact on patients and their families in the fight against skin cancer and help save and extend the lives of so many. "Our partnership with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation has allowed us to extend the reach of Lauren's fund while keeping it connected to our community," Sarah Gray said. "We're grateful for Mary Bird's stewardship and support of Lauren's fund and proud to know it will continue Lauren's fight against skin cancer for years to come."