Women entrepreneurs take swat against cancer

LAKEWOOD RANCH — In August, Barbara Kaberna found herself trapped in her car during a torrential downpour. She was waiting to run inside the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s headquarters to attend a leadership breakfast.

She normally doesn’t attend morning meetings, if she can help it.

And yet, once inside, Kaberna heard stories from cancer survivors and volunteers and learned the American Cancer Society needed help. Who could chair the 2015 Lakewood Ranch Relay for Life fundraiser?

“The next thing I knew, my hand went up,” said Kaberna, who had learned before the meeting that her 24-year-old nephew had been diagnosed with cancer. “I’d never even seen a relay.”

The ACS said it would provide the how-to and support. It needed her to supply the people. And Kaberna knew she had connections. 

About 300, to be more exact. 

As a member of Successful Women Aligning Together, better known as SWAT, a women-only networking group, Kaberna made a call for help at the August 2014 Manasota SWAT chapter meeting. She talked about it at every meeting she attended thereafter.

The result: SWAT produced three teams for the April 25 Lakewood Ranch Relay for Life event. 

The top fundraising team, called Crown Jewels — a name reflective of the idea that as soon as a loved one becomes afflicted with cancer, he or she becomes your “precious jewel” — hosted a variety of fundraising events, including fashion and jewelry shows, a comedy night at McCurdy’s, a karaoke night and other endeavors. 

The group raised $17,458.20 — nearly half the total raised by all 16 teams in the Lakewood Ranch Relay.

“You have a ton of self-starters,” said member Michele Postell, who co-captained the team with Jennifer Lee. 

Member Fern Grace agreed.

“It was our intention to raise as much as we could for this as a group,” Grace said. “We did it.”

Combined with the other two SWAT teams — ACN and Parker’s Pirates of the Curibbean — SWAT members raised $21,089.03, or 52% of the event’s total funds raised, and provided about one-fourth of event participants.

SWAT members said the structure of SWAT and the discipline of the women involved made a solid recipe for success, although no one knew they’d raise so much money.

Kaberna, the director of SWAT’s Lakewood Ranch chapter, still can’t believe the success.

“It was really an honor to have been part of that,” Kaberna said.