Just one episode of the nightly news is all it takes for a perfectly healthy person to feel as if the apocalypse is on the horizon.

However, Unite for HER, a West Chester-based nonprofit that annually assists in myriad ways more than a thousand women afflicted with breast cancer, is as much an antidote to those gloomy headlines as it is for the tragedy-stricken women it serves.

The organization, established in 2009, recently held one of its signature fundraisers, Harvest, at the Phoenixville Foundry, a venue along the French Creek that is a stunning reincarnation of its past self, much like the ladies who benefit from Unite for HER.

The farm-to-table, chef-tasting event, held in the most important symbol of Phoenixville’s illustrious industrial past, raised approximately $200,000 for Unite for HER.

“It’s obviously a life-changing experience, being diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Sue Weldon, a survivor and the organization’s founder and president. “You have a new normal. It’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re taking care of everyone else. It’s difficult navigating the many roles you have as a mother, wife, sister, friend, etc.”

That’s where Unite for HER enters the picture for the women who are diagnosed in southeastern Pennsylvania.

“Doctors treat the cancer,” said Weldon, 51, a mother of three who lives in West Chester. “Unite for HER treats the woman.”

The nonprofit’s true genesis was in 2004, the year Weldon was diagnosed, when she began searching for information on therapies that would complement the medical treatments she was receiving. What she discovered was a lack of easily-accessible resources on topics like nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga, counseling, and other ways for breast-cancer patients to enhance their wellness and care for their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.

“Unite for HER aims to bridge that gap in the standard of care, both during and after treatment,” said Weldon. “We focus on wellness initiatives that will positively impact not only their health, but also the health of all women and girls.”

Karin Risi, now the Chair of Unite for HER’s Board of Directors, gave her testimony to a crowd of 500 guests, as well as dozens of food and wine vendors, about the impact the nonprofit can have at a dark time in a woman’s life.

“Their support for me was invaluable,” said Risi, 44, a Malvern resident and the Managing Director of Vanguard’s Retail Investor Group, which serves seven million clients and has more than $1.3 trillion in assets. “I was diagnosed when I was 39 years old, and directly benefited from Unite for HER during my ordeal.”

Risi and her husband, Sean McHale, parents of two children, are paying it back.

And then some.

The philanthropic couple donated $15,000 out of their own pockets to the organization.

“Unite for HER means a great deal to me, to us,” said Risi.

Her fellow board member, Julia Kennedy, a doctor of oncology with Alliance Cancer Specialists in Bucks County, spoke with VISTA Today about the importance of organizations like Unite for HER, where she can refer her patients for further support.

“Unfortunately, it’s my role to deliver the horrible news to someone when they have cancer,” said Dr. Kennedy. “Almost 250,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and with the advanced treatments we have, most of them will survive.

“Regardless, you have to give a patient hope, and Unite for HER helps do that.”

Cherri Gregg, who reports on community affairs for KYW Newsradio, emceed the event. For the second year in a row, Gent Mema and his chefs from Il Granaio in Glen Mills took home the Harvest Clean Plate Award. Guests voted on their favorite dish, and it was the Italian restaurant’s braised veal cheeks over paccheri that pleased them most.

Nina Minale, who was diagnosed in 2012, won the Heart of Service Award for her volunteer work and for being an ambassador to the organization. Panera Bread earned the Spirit of Community Award for its sponsorship and sharing Unite for HER’s passion and vision regarding improved nutrition, food transparency, and eliminating artificial ingredients. And Acure Organics won the Partnership Award for its commitment to creating beauty and skincare products that, with less toxins, are safe and effective.

Click here for more information on Unite for HER or to make a donation.