The 2nd Annual Tigerlily Foundation EmPOWER Ball

The Tigerlily Foundation was founded in the midst of a haze of disbelief, resilience, and a determination to ensure that young women would not feel like they were alone as they battled the disease. Founder Maimah Karmo was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 32. She was young, had a little daughter, and had no real means of initial emotional support as she tried to face the reality of her diagnosis.

With the support of family, she went into remission and determined to ensure that more young women were aware that they could be affected at a young age. Today the Tigerlily Foundation educates young women about their breast health, provides buddies for women who have been diagnosed (very popular with the women), and provides much needed support and meals for the families of the women who are going through treatment for their breast cancer.

What started as one woman's mission has quickly grown into a movement that is reaching a younger generation. Maimah's daughter, Noelle, started a cupcake fundraiser that is very popular and is an avid advocate for breast health. Maimah has appeared in various media outlets including O, the Oprah Magazine, Essence, Ladies Home Journal , Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar , Marie Claire , Redbook Women and Cancer, Cure Magazine and more. She has also been featured on Fox 5, ABC 7, CBS, the Oprah Winfrey Show , and Good Morning America . She was awarded a L'Oreal Paris' Woman of Worth award in 2009, and is a National Breast Cancer Coalition Project LEAD graduate.

The 2nd Annual Tigerlily Foundation EmPOWER Ball will be held on 6/24/2011, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. This elegant affair will have you rubbing shoulders with many of DC's movers and shakers for a very worthy cause. If you are passionate about making a tangible difference, you can build a team to raise funds for Tigerlily by visiting their fundraiser page.