With a goal of funding the Mississippi chapter of the American Cancer Society, Brookhaven’s 2nd Annual American Cancer Society Ball kicks off the holiday season today, Nov. 4 at Butterfield Mansion in Brookhaven.

Special guest speaker Jennifer Jackson Whittier, a two-time cancer survivor, is a lifelong resident of Brookhaven. She is a retired educator and serves on various state educational boards and committees. She’s also a mother and grandmother who calls her priorities her faith, her family and her community service.

“Paint the Town with Hope” is the theme for the sold-out evening. The Bridge Band will provide music and the honoree for the event is Kathryn Lovette.

Last year the event raised $110,000 for cancer patients in Mississippi. “Our HOPE is to surpass that amount and help give access to care for cancer patients in Mississippi,” organizer Stacie Cross said.

Butterfield Manson – once known as Edgewood Mansion – started out a new home for lumber mill owner Charles Spencer Butterfield for his second wife, Vivienne. The home was completed in 1911-1912 for $75,000 — what would be about $1.9 million today, a past story in the Daily Leader stated. New Orleans artisans handcrafted the home’s moldings inside and out and furniture and fixtures were shipped in from overseas.

David Lovell lived in the house for 50 years and spent a nearly a half a million dollars redoing it. Jeff and Stacie Cross purchased the mansion after Lovell’s death and also had to refurbish the building, which had fallen into disrepair once again.

Since then, the mansion has become a beautiful site to conduct meetings, weddings and other get-togethers.

And Thursday night, it’s the magical place where HOPE is painted with words of love to impede a hateful disease.

 

Story by Angela Cutrer