Women's Group Honors Pink Fund's Molly MacDonald

Molly MacDonald, founder and president of The Pink Fund, will receive one of three special awards bestowed annually by the Association for Women in Communications Detroit Chapter (AWC-Detroit) during the organization's annual Matrix Awards ceremony held May 16 at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn.

 The Bloomfield Hills resident will receive the Diamond Award for establishing the non-profit organization that helps women diagnosed with breast cancer get the necessary financial aid they need for 90 days to help support themselves and their families. MacDonald was unemployed, in debt, and supporting five children when she learned she had breast cancer. From her experience, she founded the organization to assist women (and men) battling breast cancer with short-term funds for during their treatment.

She has been recognized numerous times locally for her work in the Birmingham area and is an active member of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce (BBCC).

Also honored during the ceremony will be West Bloomfield resident Desiree Cooper, a lawyer, blogger, and former Detroit-area journalist. Cooper is now the director of community and media relations for Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan. The former Detroit Free Press columnist and Metro Times editor  dedicated her primary writing in the last decade to exploring extraordinary stories about women and children, diversity, and philanthropy at a grass-roots level.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy will keynote the chapter's 75th anniversary event at the Automotive Hall of Fame, 21400 Oakwood Blvd., in Dearborn. Recently named one of Newsweek's 125 Women of Impact, she was the first African American and first female to become Wayne County prosecutor. She has advocated for funds to protect witnesses, created the county’s first Elder Abuse Unit and implemented a "Change the Culture" initiative focusing on reducing gun violence.

Emmy Award-winning media coach and Novi resident Shawne Duperon will receive the has been in the Vanguard Award. In television for nearly two decades, Duperon is known for Project: Forgive, a documentary exploring forgiveness that was sparked by her friendship with two men: Gary Weinstein, who lost his wife and two sons in an accident - and the drunk driver who caused it, Tom Wellinger.

The public is welcome to attend the Matrix Awards. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction. Tickets are $48 for AWC-Detroit members, $55 for non-members, and $35 for students. For more information, or to reserve tickets, visit the Events page on womcomdetroit.org or call 866-685-1784.