The Shepard Cancer Foundation and Vidant Beaufort Hospital came together to host cancer patients, caregivers and family members for an annual Family Fun Day held May 4.

The event included face painting, arts and crafts, Bingo, yoga classes, massages, cake walks, dancing, photo booth, raffles and a delicious meal of pulled pork barbecue, chicken fingers and all the fixings prepared by Keyzer’s Catering. The festivities were held at First Church of Christ in Washington.

More than 200 people had registered to attend the celebration, according to Danielle White, nurse navigator at the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center. White and Carolina Moreno coordinated the festivities with the center’s staff and foundation board.

“We’ve done Family Fun Day for three years, and we’ve done some type of Survivors’ Day for more than 10 years,” White said. “It’s important for our patients to be recognized for all the hardships they’ve had to face with a cancer diagnosis. So we pretty much want to make sure they have this special day every year.”

Offering events like Family Fun Day is part of the Shepard Cancer Foundation’s mission, according to board president Pansy Champion, herself a cancer survivor.

“This is one of many things we do to support the cancer patients and their survivors,” Champion noted. “The cancer center is wonderful. It’s a hard walk when somebody is going through cancer. You need somebody to help navigate you through this.”

For more information about the Shepard Center Foundation, visit its website at

shepardcancerfoundation.org.