by Laura Lindsay

The eighth annual Wine Around the Square for The Power of Pink, put on by the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 6–9 p.m. in downtown Murfreesboro with samples of beer, wine and liquor at more than 20 shops and businesses.

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant will provide dinner for everyone, with a VIP party to be held inside Puckett’s from 5–7 p.m.

A late party for all VIP and standard ticket holders will start at 9 p.m. at The Alley on Main.

The Center for the Arts will set up a stage across from the Big B alley and will present a performance at the beginning of the night. A band will play on the stage for the rest of the evening.

The 2019 WATS honoree is Dr. Gloria Bonner, a two-time breast cancer survivor and colon cancer survivor who spends her time helping cancer patients through their journeys. She helped and advocated for students, colleagues and staff over 32 years at MTSU, first as dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Science, then as special assistant to the president, working on community engagement initiatives on behalf of President Sidney McPhee.

“I love this community, and I am so honored to have the privilege to be a part of a great community that is still growing, but at a suitable size where we still care and show compassion for each other,” Bonner said.

WATS 2018 by Middle Tennessee Drone Pilots

“Wine Around the Square has gone from a small event to one where we raise about $250,000 a year,” said Gina DeJean, director of the Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Foundation. “It brings our community out, it helps support downtown Murfreesboro and then keeps the money here locally to help support women in our community. This is really a great community building event that a lot of people look forward to every year.”

Susan Grear, owner of The Write Impression, said she really looks forward to this event every year.

“The atmosphere, the progressive wine tastings and the wonderful food bring so many people together for a great cause: The Power of Pink,” Grear said. “Many of the honorees are both customers and friends of the store, and that makes it even more personal for us to want to support them, as they are all breast cancer survivors.”

WATS 2018 by Eric Lusk

“We have participated in Wine Around the Square since the very first one, and it is a huge success raising the money and also good for our small businesses,” said Judy Goldie, co-owner along with Melanie Davenport of Trendy Pieces, Bella’s Boutique and The Marketplace Home & Gift.

WATS founder Patty Marschel had a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer and after she recovered, Marschel led this initiative, DeJean said.

“She felt no woman in this community needs to not be able to have a mammogram, so all the funds from Wine Around the Square go to The Power of Pink,” according to DeJean.

Money raised provides mammograms, diagnostic breast exams and biopsies to women in the community.

“These women are either uninsured or underinsured, and we also help support a nurse navigator, who will follow those women through the journey of diagnosis all the way through treatment,” DeJean said. “It also helps support the mobile mammography unit. This unit goes to various locations in 16 different counties.”

WATS 2018 by Eric Lusk

The Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation helps support many different projects, she said. This is its biggest fundraiser and most popular event.

“Dr. Bonner is our honoree this year,” DeJean said “It was a no-brainer that we wanted to bring her into this event and honor her.”

“As the 2019 honoree, I get to celebrate getting a second chance at life,” Bonner said. “Patty Marschel, along with Gordon Ferguson, the CEO of Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, have made amazing commitments and dedication to individuals.

WATS 2018 by Eric Lusk

“We tell our stories as survivors to help people understand that with us having a second chance at life, this initiative also affords other people the same opportunities who may not have the insurance coverage that we are fortunate to have or those with minimal or low-income salary ranges, and it supports young individuals—male or female—who need mammograms, who otherwise would not be able to afford it. Even if you identify one person and they are diagnosed with breast cancer, it is priceless because there you have the potential to save another life. But let’s say we identify 15 or 20 of them.”

Five months after she retired from MTSU, Bonner was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Your whole life races before you,” she said. “But I never ask ‘why me?’ because I can’t name anybody else that I know and love that I would want to go through that experience. It has been a humbling experience. And, also a sobering experience, but once you overcome that, you think, ‘What can I do to help others to navigate this journey, and how can I be available to translate the experience to them?’ I’ve been fortunate enough that people have approached me. I made my journey public, and people have been generous and gracious enough to contact me and ask me for assistance and support when they receive a diagnosis. I’m very happy to do this.”

For more information and to purchase tickets for Wine Around the Square, visit winearoundthesquare.net. VIP tickets are $250. General admission tickets are $65 and can also be purchased at the event.