It was a night of music, mission and impact at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center last night as hundreds came together for the eighth annual Big Stars & Pink Guitars — a one-of-a-kind event that has become a soundtrack for hope for those facing breast cancer.
The event, which featured a live auction of pink Firefly guitars curated by local music icon Kory Van Sickle and signed by some of music’s biggest stars, raised $1,098,250 for the Edith Sanford Breast Center in Sioux Falls. 100% of every dollar raised stays local to help advance early-detection technology like 3D mammography machines, vital services like Nurse Navigation, leading-edge research and clinical trials, and so much more.
“We are so incredibly grateful to this amazing community for coming together to make Big Stars & Pink Guitars such a powerful night of music, mission and impact,” said Erin Sanderson, Vice President of Sanford Health Foundation Sioux Falls. “Since its debut in 2018, this event has raised more than $5.4 million for the Edith Sanford Breast Center in Sioux Falls — making a difference for patients and families, and enabling us to achieve some of the best early detection rates in the nation. In 2024, more than 80 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed at Edith Sanford in Sioux Falls were caught at stage 0 or stage 1—when the disease was most treatable.”
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We simply can’t say thank you enough to all those who are supporting our work. Thank you for standing with us, for lifting others up and for being the rhythm of change we need in the fight against breast cancer.
Development Officer, Sanford Health Foundation Sioux Falls
A Warrior’s Story
Jen Thiel of Sioux Falls served as the event’s featured survivor.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 at the age of 39, Jen’s road to remission wasn’t easy, but thanks to expert care from the Edith Sanford Breast Center, she and her family never walked alone. Today she is healthy and cancer-free. She hopes her story will raise awareness and inspire support for the place that, she said, saved her life.
“I’m grateful for everything I went through — it’s part of my journey. I’m just grateful I did it here,” she said.
“I wish donors could spend a day or a week at the Edith Sanford Cancer Center to see the different journeys people are on — so they could see personally how their money is helping patients. One small act of kindness goes so far.”
Give for Good
Today, breast cancer affects one in eight women, along with thousands of men each year. With your support, we can improve access to lifesaving screenings, accelerate advances in research and give meaningful strength and support to local patients fighting this devastating disease right now.
When you give to the Edith Sanford Breast Center through the Sanford Health Foundation, 100% of your donation will support:
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- Services like Nurse Navigation, offering guidance and support from day one of a diagnosis
- Leading-edge equipment like 3D mammography machines, offering the most advanced early-detection technology
- Cutting-edge research and clinical trials
- Direct assistance for treatment-related costs like meals, lodging or transportation
- Complimentary wigs and head coverings
- And so much more