“Forgive me, if I’m a little… muttery,” she said in a soft-spoken yet strong voice.
But when the words started flowing, 14 year old Julia Cygan took command of the stage at Value City Furniture’s headquarters in East Columbus.
“I just want to thank you all for coming out here, it means so much to see these faces here today,” she said during the company’s Race for the Cure rally to kick-off two weeks of fundraising before the May 14th event.
Julia is the daughter of Heather Pick, WBNS 10TV’s former morning news anchor who passed away in 2008 from breast cancer. Pick was a champion in the fight against the disease and pushed for more awareness on the importance of early detection, one of the many causes for Komen Columbus.
Julia was only 7 years old when her mother passed away.
“It's hard to explain the feeling that you get, when you realize, that, you walk in the house every day, and you realize they're not going to be there anymore,” Julia said to the crowd of more than 100 people who plan to take part in the annual race.
“It's really important to me to make sure that nobody goes through that anymore,” she adds. “And because of this, I really enjoy seeing all these people here today, and I love the fact that so many people are so dedicated to being here.”
Since 1997, Value City Furniture has partnered with Komen Columbus as a key sponsor for the Race.
“Over the last 19 years, we’ve lost some beautiful associates, some amazing family and friends,” said Michael Broidy, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Schottenstein Stores Corp.
“And we miss them dearly.”
Last month, Komen Columbus awarded Value City Furniture with the Impact Award during the organization’s Keeping the Promise luncheon. To date, VCF has raised more than $1.3 million dollars for Komen Columbus and the many agencies that receive funding because of it.
“Race for the cure is as important as ever,” says Jonathan Schottenstein, COO and President of American Signature, which is the parent company of Value City Furniture.
“As a family, my brothers, my parents, this is critical for us to support it,” he adds. “When we come together to support, we all win, as a company and as a community.”
The crowd included 10tv Morning News anchor Angela An and former 10TV News Anchor Chuck Strickler, who was Heather’s co-anchor for a number of years before she passed away.
Julia received a standing ovation after speaking to the group.
“It just makes my heart warm, really it does.”
