Mia Ware Foundation celebrates cancer survivors at annual event
Survivors in active treatment filled Hamilton’s in Jacksonville as the Mia Ware Foundation tied its celebration to local help for screenings, mammograms and other care.
Cancer survivors in active treatment filled Hamilton’s in Jacksonville on July 9 for the Mia Ware Foundation’s annual Survivor Celebration, a dinner that paired fellowship and prizes with the foundation’s long-running work in Morgan County. Each survivor was invited to bring one guest, and the evening also included entertainment and a guest speaker.
The event put a local face on what often happens after treatment ends. The Mia Ware Foundation was created after Mia Ware’s own cancer journey, and its mission has stayed centered on educating, raising awareness and supporting people who have been touched by cancer. The group keeps its funds in the Morgan County area, which has allowed it to back practical needs that families do not always see until they are facing a diagnosis.
Over about two decades, the foundation has supported mammogram screenings, imaging equipment, chemotherapy-suite resources and colorectal cancer screening kits. Its original board included Shawn McCombs of Jacksonville Savings Bank, local residents Nancy Bork and Ginny Fanning, and then-Passavant Area Hospital CEO Chet Wynn. That local roster helped anchor the foundation in Jacksonville from the start, and the organization has remained tied to the community rather than sending money outside the county.
The foundation’s role has also reached into prevention. Memorial Health has credited the Mia Ware Foundation as a partner in distributing free colorectal cancer screening kits at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, extending its work beyond celebrations and fundraising into direct screening access. The foundation also donated $100,000 for mammography suite renovations at Passavant Area Hospital, a project that tied survivor support to equipment used in everyday care.
The Survivor Celebration itself has become a recurring fixture. A 2025 listing placed the event at Hamilton’s from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 25, and a 2024 listing showed a similar gathering there on June 26. The foundation’s event page says the dinner is complimentary for the survivor and one guest, underscoring that the evening is meant to welcome people at every stage of the cancer experience, including those still in active treatment.
For Jacksonville families, the annual celebration is more than a social stop on the calendar. It is a visible reminder that local support for cancer care still runs through the Mia Ware Foundation, from screening kits and mammography work to the simple act of giving survivors a place to be recognized.
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