For Immediate Release:
September 30, 2019
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
Laurel Ridge is joining in the fight against breast cancer all throughout October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The CHASE committee, along with employee Alex Burton – a breast cancer survivor – have organized a month’s worth of activities.
The college sold pink ribbon T-shirts that staff can pair with jeans on designated days, including a Breast Cancer Awareness walk and group picture on Oct. 23.
Students, faculty and staff can learn more about the disease that one in eight women will be diagnosed with by speaking with Valley Health Breast Health Navigator Joyce Dunlap 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Cornerstone Hall. She’ll be bringing breast models, giveaways and prizes, including a drawing for a thirty-one lunch bag.
Laurel Ridge nursing students will set up information tables in Cornerstone Hall and the Student Union Building on Oct. 21, 22 and 28.
Buckets will be set out on the Middletown Campus through the first part of the month for Laurel Ridge students and staff to donate to Angels Among Us, a local fund that helps cancer patients having trouble keeping up with bills or needed medical accommodations.
Each bucket will feature the face of a faculty member or employee, and the ones with the most money donated will get a pie in the face on Oct. 16. Luray-Page County Center Manager Judy Suddith will be getting pied in the face a day early, Oct. 15.
Alex Burton was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer while pregnant with her young son, Hunter. He went through four rounds of chemo with his mother while in utero.
“Being pregnant and getting diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer is one of the scariest things I’ve ever encountered, so I did what I have always done, and that is fight the fear,” says Burton, who says her husband was a huge support to her. “I would tell myself every morning that I am not going to die today. I am not going to die because my husband needs me and our baby needs me.
“Even on my really, really, really sick days, I came to work and smiled because there is a lot to be grateful for, especially life itself. I have been operated on, cut, infused, radiated – you name it, I have had it, but I am here. I am alive, and that is something to be grateful for.”
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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