Like so many other Americans, Dowagiac’s Maxine Ownby knows all too well the damage and turmoil created by cancer.

Herself a breast cancer survivor, Ownby has lost her mother, a sister and a brother to the disease, and another brother and an aunt had their own bouts with cancer.

After overcoming cancer in 2008, the Dowagiac woman decided to join the fight against the disease herself by joining the ranks of the Cass County Cancer Service, a charity that supports local cancer patients, by helping to pay for fuel, equipment and other expenses they may incur during their treatment.

“They helped me pay for my gas when I had to drive to St. Joseph every day, from May 13 until July 4, for my radiation treatment,” Ownby said. “So I said ‘when I get well, I am going to help you guys out.’ So I did.”

Eight years later, Ownby is the president of the support organization, having been reelected for another three-year term two weeks ago, she said.

The cancer survivor was one of several people who spoke during the Lee Memorial Foundation’s tree lighting ceremony for its 2016 Tree of Love campaign Wednesday night. Around 75 people attended the event, which took place at Farr Park outside Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital.

The tree was decorated with pink lights, with each bulb representing a cancer survivor or victim, dedicated in their honor by one of the many people who donated to the Tree of Love campaign this year. According to Lee Memorial Foundation officials, people have given more than $8,000 for this year’s effort, with the funds going toward paying for mammograms and other breast cancer screenings for Cass County women who are uninsured or underinsured.

Breast cancer remains a serious threat in the U.S., affecting one out of every eight women. Of those, one in five cannot readily afford to pay for potentially lifesaving screenings, said Tom Carlson, president of the Lee Memorial Foundation board.

Through the Tree of Love campaign, which has taken place at the Dowagiac hospital for the past six years, more than 200 women have received free breast cancer screenings, Carlson said. Several local organizations, including Dowagiac Union Schools, Honor Credit Union and The Marshall Shoppe, have helped make this year’s campaign one of the most successful yet, he said.

“It has been wonderful to see the connections this campaign is building in the community,” said John Ryder, Borgess-Lee COO. “It is also wonderful to see the increasing generosity that happens from year to year.”

The community has been equally generous to Cass County Cancer Service, which has received thousands of dollars in donations over the past year, Ownby said.

“I am so thankful for the fact that when something needs to be done, this community gets it done,” she said.

The Lee Memorial Foundation will continue to accept donations for this year’s Tree of Love campaign through December. To donate, people can contact Beth Cripe, development coordinator with the foundation, at (269) 783-3026.