On Jan. 20, many local artists joined to present A Night of Broadway – The Finale at the Vern Riffe Center for The Arts.

The performance was hosted by the Portsmouth West High School Vocal Music Department and joined by SOMC General and Breast Surgeon Dr. Vincent Scarpinato, Dr. Jessica Powell of SOMC Portsmouth Family Health Center, and many other artists, who put on a fantastic show for the 500-600 people in attendance.

The event raised an incredible $2,000 for the SOMC Breast Cancer Compassion Fund, a fund dedicated to assisting those battling breast cancer. Donations will help these patients by providing transportation to and from treatment, purchasing scarves, wigs and any other items they may need.

“Being a fine arts teacher is not a single-faceted job. You must be there to encourage, empathize and support your students as well as introduce them to the many aspects of an arts education. As your students are, hopefully, learning from you...you also learn from them. You can share in their happy times as much as you are there for them in their trying times. Many of my students have watched loved ones struggle with the horrors of having cancer. There is more than pushing through the process. There’s the fact that many of our families can barely provide from day to day. Adding the extra expenses of cancer treatment can create impossible home-life situations. Based on the aforementioned, we were onboard with Dr. Scarpinato and SOMC from the moment we first learning about the Compassion Fund. The West Choir has created ways to support the Fund through our winter shows and Revues. Our students are all-in for the Fund. We could only wish we could do more,” said Linda Tieman, Portsmouth West High School Vocal Music Director.

The SOMC team is extremely grateful for the support from the show and the performers.

“It was such an honor to be a small part of this special evening,” said Dr. Scarpinato. “To see the support of our community for our patients is just incredible. We are grateful to the talented students of Portsmouth West High School, their staff, all the other artists who performed, and the community who joined in this effort. Your generosity towards our patients is truly appreciated.”

To learn more about the SOMC Cancer Compassion Fund, please visit www.somc.org/support-us/development-foundation-funds