University News

Wreath Auction Spreads Holiday Cheer, Supports Cancer Patients Year-Round

That Taylor Swift-themed holiday wreath hanging in the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center hallway is more than just a festive decoration. It also represents a meal, a tank of gas or a night’s lodging for a cancer patient struggling to get by.

Starting at noon Monday, bidding opens on more than 100 wreaths UVA Health employees and University of Virginia community members hand-crafted to raise money to help patients overcome barriers to treatment, including transportation and lodging. The wreaths can be viewed online or at the cancer center.

For 17 years – with one year off during the pandemic –the auction has been raising funds to help cancer center patients who might otherwise miss their treatments due to financial hardships.

“The wreath auction directly impacts patients,” said Julia Davis, clinical research coordinator at the center and event chair. “There are patients I put on (treatment) trials who can’t come to the center because they can’t afford gas, some trials don’t pay for gas. Having this option allows them to come to UVA to get their treatment.”

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The wreaths reveal a world of whimsy. Besides traditional holiday motifs, past auctions have featured decorations festooned with dachshunds dashing through the snow, a festival of femurs, and, of course, being gnome for the holidays. UVA President Jim Ryan’s wreath has even featured guest passes to the president’s box for a men’s basketball game.

“When you’re in the cancer center, and you see the amount of joy the wreaths bring to patients, staff, family members – anyone who’s coming through there – it’s hard not to smile,” said Sofia Marigliano, a third-year biochemistry major and co-chair of the event. “It’s hard not to feel like the time it takes to organize the event is worth it. It’s amazing seeing everyone smiling and admiring them.”

Wreaths are not the only items up for auction this year. Local businesses, from Mincer’s and Ragged Mountain Running Shop on the Corner to the Paramount Theater, Ralph Sampson’s American Taproom and Hospice of the Piedmont, are offering items and services for bid.

Group Portrait of Sofia Marigliano, Laughlin Ryan and Julia Davis.

Sofia Marigliano, Laughlin Ryan and Julia Davis lead this year’s effort, which will feature wreaths and donations from area businesses and organizations to help cover patients’ ancillary expenses. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

UVA men’s lacrosse and the UVA women’s soccer teams are also offering items up for auction, as are Blenheim Winery and Studio R Aesthetics.

“We’re excited about having businesses join us, and we hope to raise even more money,” said co-chair Laughlin Ryan, a Cavalier women’s soccer midfielder and master’s degree candidate in public health. “Sofia and I volunteered for a few years and then were handpicked to do this, which is an honor. We’ve seen it for so many years, how beautiful it is and how much fun it is, and that’s why I keep doing it.”

The wreaths will be on display until the end of the first week of December. Winners will be notified by email on Dec. 9 and may pick up their items on Dec. 10 at the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center.