The Cancer Support Community to Honor NBC News Today Host Craig Melvin

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Cancer Support Community (CSC) has announced that award-winning news anchor and patient advocate Craig Melvin will be the recipient of the 2021 Marin Mazzie Award for Empowerment, named in honor of Theater Hall of Fame inductee, three-time Tony nominee, and CSC Champion Marin Mazzie, who passed away of ovarian cancer in 2018. 

CSC will recognize Melvin at its annual celebration on Thursday, October 28. The virtual gathering will begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Originally named the Founders Award for Empowerment, in 2018 the award was renamed for the beloved Broadway legend after she passed away from ovarian cancer. Mazzie was a staunch supporter of CSC and actively advanced its mission to support people living with cancer and their loved ones.  Her leadership and advocacy for women’s health issues, in particular ovarian cancer awareness, was honored with a special Tony Award in 2020. The Marin Mazzie Award for Empowerment honors her legacy by recognizing public figures who use their platform to both advocate for and inspire people who are living with cancer. Her husband, Broadway star Jason Danieley, continues to be a champion for CSC and a resolute advocate for cancer patients and caregivers.

“Marin would be impressed with Craig’s advocacy and admire his courage in openly and truthfully sharing his personal experience with cancer,” Danieley said. 

Melvin was selected in recognition of his efforts to advocate for and inspire people who are living with cancer and their loved ones. The NBC News Today host has shown tireless dedication to shining a light on the patient experience since his late brother’s colorectal cancer diagnosis. Melvin has used his platform to encourage screening for this disease and conversation about family health history, especially within the Black community. Melvin will be presented the award by Tony-nominee and star of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, Ashley Park. Park, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia as a teenager, received the inaugural Marin Mazzie Award in 2019. Actress Marcia Cross was the 2020 recipient.

“We are honored to extend the Marin Mazzie Award for Empowerment to Craig Melvin,” said CSC’s president Elizabeth Franklin. “We applaud the work he has done to raise awareness for the prevalence of colorectal cancer diagnoses and the importance of families talking frankly about their health history. He is a strong voice in encouraging men and people of color—who are disproportionately impacted by this disease—to get screened.”

CSC’s 2021 Annual Celebration will be held virtually on October 28 at 8 p.m. ET. The inspiring and uplifting evening will include performances by Aisha Jackson and Sam Gravitte, two of Broadway’s brightest young stars.

To register for the event and for more information, go to https://bit.ly/CSCAnnualCelebration

About the Cancer Support Community

As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community (CSC), including its Gilda’s Club affiliates, is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. CSC achieves its mission through three areas: direct service delivery, research, and advocacy. The organization’s Institute for Excellence in Psychosocial Care includes an international network of affiliates that offer the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer, as well as a community of support available online and over the phone. The Research and Training Institute conducts cutting-edge psychosocial, behavioral, and survivorship research. CSC furthers its focus on patient advocacy through its Cancer Policy Institute, informing public policy in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. For more information, please call the toll-free Cancer Support Helpline at 888-793-9355, or visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org.