11th Annual Rose Regatta Supports St. Rose Dominican Fight Against Breast Cancer

LAS VEGAS, October 9, 2019 – The 11th annual Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Festival will take to the water at Lake Las Vegas October 12 and 13, as hundreds of paddlers from across the country pull together to raise funds to support breast care services at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. 

More than $20,000 raised by the 2018 event provided support for the St. Rose Dominican Engelstad R.E.D. Rose Program, which emphasizes Responsible Early Detection of breast cancer, providing access to life-saving diagnostic treatments for underinsured and uninsured patients in Southern Nevada. 

One in eight women and one in 1,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Since its inception more than 18 years ago, the Engelstad R.E.D. Rose Program has helped more than:

• 6,000 clients
• Provided 3,600 mammograms 
• Resulting in almost 3,000 ultrasound examinations
• and 700 biopsies

Holly Lyman, Community Outreach Director for Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican, says the annual event is serious fun. “The Red Rose Regatta is a race for friendly competition, but beating breast cancer is a race, too – survival rates are directly linked to how early breast cancer is detected and treated.  That’s why the work of the R.E.D Rose program is so important. R.E.D stands for Rapid Early Detection of breast cancer. This festival celebrates national breast cancer awareness month and raises funds to make sure uninsured women have a place to turn for early breast cancer screenings.”

The R.E.D. Rose program was founded in 2001 by Sister Monica Stankus, while serving as Vice President for Mission at St Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson.  A member of the Las Vegas High School Class of 1954, Sister Monica entered the Adrian Dominican Order in 1959.  Sisters from the Adrian Dominican Order traveled to Henderson from Michigan in 1947, establishing St. Rose de Lima Hospital and the health care system that has become St. Rose Dominican. 

Sister Monica realized early on that many women going through breast cancer treatment, couldn’t work and could lose their jobs. She created this means of financial support program so women could stay in their homes and provide for their children while undergoing treatment.

THE REGATTA
The Rose Regatta is coordinated by Race Director, Terry Maurer, through the Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club.  More than 50 teams are registered to compete in this year’s event - local teams, club teams from as far away as Canada, and 3 teams comprised of breast cancer survivors.

Schedule:
Saturday, October 12th 
Location: Lake Las Vegas - Races start at 8 a.m. and run through 3 p.m.

• Beginning at Noon:
• Blessing of the waters, paddlers and survivors by Adrian Dominican Sisters 
• Special St. Rose Dominican race between the staffs of Rose de Lima, Siena, and San Martín hospitals. Each hospital boat will be captained by local media personalities 
  
  • News 3’s Kevin Janison  
  • Fox 5’s Maria Silva
  • 13 Action News’s Leah Pezzetti
• First Responders heat, featuring teams from Henderson Police vs. LAPD and NYPD Dragon Boat Teams
• Traditional Dotting the Eyes Ceremony, featuring Taiko Drummers
• Breast Cancer Championship Heat 
• Flowers on the Water Ceremony (for all survivors in attendance)

Sunday October 13:
Competitive Club teams from across the US and Canada continue to battle it out in semi-final and finals heats. 

###

About Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican
As the community’s only not-for-profit, faith-based health system, Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican has been guided by the vision and core values of the Adrian Dominican Sisters since 1947. As the Henderson and Las Vegas communities grow, the St. Rose Dominican health system and its nearly 4,000 employees will continue the Sisters’ mission of serving people in need. St. Rose Dominican is a member of the multi-state Dignity Health network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals and 400-plus care-centers including neighborhood hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics.