Quantcast
Skip to content
Communities
  • North Fork
    • Jamesport
    • Mattituck
    • Orient
    • Riverhead
    • Shelter Island
    • Southold
  • The Hamptons
    • Montauk
    • Quogue
    • Sag Harbor
    • Sagaponack
    • Southampton
    • Water Mill
    • Westhampton Beach
  • NYC
  • Palm Beach
  • Home Pros
  • Digital Editions
  • Dan’s Best of the Best
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
Dan’s Papers
  • Things to Do

    Events Calendar

    View and Post Events

    • Books & Authors
    • Concerts
    • Comedy
    • Fairs & Festivals
    • Film
    • Fitness & Outdoors
    • Galleries & Museums
    • Kids & Families
    • LGBTQ+
    • Nonprofits & Philanthropy
    • Pets & Animals
    • Seasonal & Holiday
    • Shopping
    • Theater

    Dan’s Events

    Visit Dan’s Taste

  • Arts & Culture
    • Artist Profiles
    • Books & Authors
    • Galleries & Museums
    • Performing Arts
    • Music, Film & TV
  • Food & Drink
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
    • Bars, Breweries & Distilleries
    • Wine & Wineries
  • Celebrity News
  • Local News
    • Crime & Police
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Business
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Obituaries
  • Real Estate
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion & Style
    • Hotels & Inns
    • Kids & Family
    • Nonprofits & Philanthropy
    • Party & Event Photos
    • Wellness
    • Dan Rattiner’s Stories

→ Dan’s Taste Summer Series Presented by Wilmington Trust

Events & Entertainment

Ellen Hermanson Foundation Honors Cancer Survivor at Spring Dance Party

By Oliver Peterson
6 minute 04/19/2023 Share
Angela LaGreca in 2019
Angela LaGreca

The Ellen Hermanson Foundation will hold its Spring Warm-Up Dance Party on Saturday, April 22 to kick off the 28th annual Ellen’s Run benefit.

Along with offering an evening of dancing and drinks, the event will celebrate Emmy-winning television producer, entertainer and breast cancer survivor Angela LaGreca; Ellen’s Run icon and top community supporter Eliot Rodman Smith; and The Shocking Pinks, Ellen’s Run’s number-one fundraising team for the past three years — including captain Sheryl Heather and team members Jeannie Sullivan-Curran, Maureen Drew, Erin Finley, Claudia Ferrara, and Dottie Macaluso.

Shinnecock storyteller, writer and performer Andrina Wekontash Smith is the evening’s emcee and auctioneer for the silent auction, while DJ Double S Productions will provide dance music, alongside a delicious spread from Sydney’s Gourmet, an array of signature drinks, and more.

Close

Get the Full Story

News, events, culture and more — delivered to you.
Thank you for subscribing!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

LaGreca, who recently left her job as Dan’s Papers VP of Events and Features, and is now a writer and producer for CUOMO, Chris Cuomo’s new show on NewsNation, was diagnosed with breast cancer while doing a “buddy mammogram” segment with her friend Meredith Vieira on Vieira’s eponymous TV show nearly a decade ago.

LaGreca’s appearance on the show (where she was also a producer), and her subsequent writings about her experience battling and ultimately surviving the disease, inspired countless women to follow her lead and schedule their own mammograms, and it probably saved some lives in the process.

She even had the opportunity to interview Dr. Jill Biden as part of the then-Second Lady’s effort to spread breast cancer awareness.

In the years that followed her cancer, LaGreca also became an active supporter of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation here in the Hamptons, hosting events and speaking up about the disease and the foundation’s efforts to advocate for patients and support the fight against breast cancer.

LaGreca says she initially ended up working with the Ellen Hermanson Foundation due to her visibility. “I think because I had breast cancer and it was sort of public,” she explains, pointing out that the East End has a disconcerting number of breast cancer cases for such a small area.

“With humor, grace and generosity you have served as MC, auctioneer, entertainment, host at a number of our events helping to spread the word about The Ellen Hermanson Foundation and ensuring that our events were successful,” Ellen Hermanson Foundation founder and chair Julie Ratner said to LaGreca in a text explaining why she chose her for this honor. “As a breast cancer survivor, you have been an outspoken advocate for access to breast health care sharing your own story with honesty, passion and urgency,” Ratner continued, adding, “You are a role model; you walk the talk and teach by example.”

While acknowledging her deep gratitude for receiving the honor, LaGreca adds, “I’m just another person who got lucky.” She humbly eschews the notion of being deserving, noting that she hadn’t had a mammogram for five years when Vieira convinced her to go, and she didn’t want to do it then either.

“I don’t feel like I’m any kind of hero,” LaGreca continues. “I think heroes are firefighters and cops and soldiers, and people who dedicate their lives to research and make no money and have to pay back big student loans. Those are heroes,” she says. “I was just maybe a little bit courageous and kind of funny about it. … In my mind, I kind of did the wrong thing and then got lucky.”

That said, LaGreca did step up to become a valued member of the East End’s community of breast cancer survivors, and did much to help others not feel so alone or afraid to get tested.

“I was happy about that and I’m happy to always try to talk to people,” she says, adding later, “I think raising awareness, I think what we do as journalists is valuable if you can tell a solid story and get the word out, that has value.”

Oscar-winning star of stage and screen, longtime Hamptons resident and LaGreca’s friend, Mercedes Ruehl will present her honor.

Mercedes Ruehl is starring in Love Letters at Suffolk Theater
Mercedes Ruehl

The Spring Warm-Up Dance Party runs Saturday, April 22 from 6:30–10 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Community House in Bridgehampton (2368 Montauk Highway).

“This party is so much fun, and what a great way to kick off the Ellen’s Run fundraising season. We are excited about this event, because we love when the East End community comes together,” Ratner says. “They amaze us with their generosity and endless support.”

In 2022, The Ellen Hermanson Foundation granted $360,000 in support of breast health care to the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and community organizations including The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, OLA of Eastern Long Island, the Shinnecock Health Center, and The Retreat.

Tickets for the Spring Warm-Up Dance Party start at $175.

All information about the event, links to tickets, and details about Ellen’s Run can be found at ellenhermanson.org.

  • Vetted Hamptons Resources

    Hamptons Classified 

    Access our trusted network of local professionals and browse employment opportunities in the Hamptons.
    Find a Home Pro Search Jobs
  • Most Recent Articles

    meet

    Victoria’s Secrets: Meeting great people

    OL257975

    Fire Features For Outdoor Living Areas

    LUNCH Lobster Roll, American Cut, New York City

    LUNCH Lobster Roll, a Hamptons’ Classic, Finds Real Estate in NYC

    Henry Lohmann Murray

    Henry Lohmann Murray Remembered as East Hampton Healthcare Leader

  • Things to do on the East End

    More local events

    Royal Botania, Thayers, and The Roundtree, Amagansett Launch a Summer Design Pop-Up

    The Roundtree, Amagansett
    Tomorrow, midnight

    Cruise the Country Side: Wine, Orchards & Craft Beer by Bike

    East End Bike Tours
    Tomorrow, 10 am

    “The Ark”: An Exhibition curated by Eric Fischl

    The Church
    Tomorrow, 11 am

    Upon This Ground: Patchwork-Quilting Workshop with William PK Carter presented by BHM and Ma’s House

    The Nathaniel Rogers House
    Jul 1, 2 pm

    Wednesday Walks: Southampton Village

    Rogers Memorial Library
    Jul 2, 1 pm

    The Jackie Mason Musical

    southampton cultural center
    Jul 26, 7 pm
    Dan’s Papers

    The iconic mainstay of Long Island’s East End for over 60 years.

    Read Our Papers

    Digital Editions of Dan’s Papers are available online.
    Get our best stories right into your inbox. Subscribe
    Follow us
    © Dan’s Papers 2025 Schneps Media |
    Designed by Digital Silk
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

    Post an Event