The Pap Corps is back on the radar as restrictions begin to ease, with a familiar face at the helm.
Boca resident Sally Berenzweig, co-founder of KidsSafe Foundation, is the new CEO of Paps Corps Champions for Cancer Research. Their coverage area is Palm Beach, Broward and Miami counties, with 50 chapters and 22,000 members.
“Berenzweig will use her 14 years of nonprofit expertise to expand The Pap Corps’ fundraising base, develop new partnerships, increase membership, raise awareness through social media campaigns and explore grant opportunities,” the announcement said.
“We have a lot of virtual events happening and I have big plans,” Berenzweig told Boca Voice after just a few weeks on the job.
The 68-year-old nonprofit raises funds for cancer research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. And the Corps is known for active chapters and fundraisers in the gated communities. But with membership at only $40 a year, anyone can join an open chapter, she said. “If you hit ‘no chapter specified,’ you can join as a member.
“One of the perks about joining is a doctor referral program. Our members have priority access to doctors and services at Sylvester Cancer Center and the entire University of Miami Health System.” https://www.thepapcorps.org/membership/
Berenzweig is a 2019 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth honoree and received a Jefferson Award for Public Service. She co-authored a parenting book, two children’s books, eLearn trainings and a curriculum for children taught in Palm Beach and Broward schools for more than a decade.
Co-founder Cherie Benjoseph is still with KidsSafe and Berenzweig handed the baton to CEO Laura Askowitz. “I created that program for moms like me and now my son is 18. I was ready for a new challenge,” she said.
“The Pap Corps has been in my family and life for 20 years. My bonus mother Bobbi Friedman started the Pap Corps at Woodfield,” she said about her stepmom, honored with an annual fundraiser in her memory. “My mother-in-law Sandy Berenzweig is an active Pap Corps member at Boca Pointe.”
All told The Pap Corps has donated more than $110 million to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, including a $50 million pledge dedicating The Paps Corps Campus at Sylvester at Deerfield Beach.
Berenzweig has already jumped in to “raise crucial funds to build a garden of hope. Supporters can buy a brick, a plaque or a bench in someone’s name or memory to honor them. This will be a place for patients undergoing cancer treatment.” https://www.thepapcorps.org/get-involved/garden-of-hope/
By Marci Shatzman
