Cancer survivors will trade hospital gowns for gowns of a different kind next Sunday, when a Gahanna nonprofit stages its ninth annual fashion show built entirely around women who have lived through the disease. At The Table's “Still I Rise: A Cancer Survivor Fashion Experience” brings a runway, a dinner and a room full of survivor stories to Columbus Academy on September 27, with the event scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and doors opening at 3 p.m. for a pre-show experience.
The signature fashion show and dinner fundraiser lands at Columbus Academy's Dining Hall and Event Center, 4300 Cherry Bottom Road in Gahanna, according to At The Table. As reported by WSYX, the organization is a Central Ohio nonprofit that uses a fashion runway to spotlight cancer survival and raise money for women living beyond cancer. At The Table provides support, education, empowerment and resources to women cancer survivors, the station notes.
A Runway Built on Survivor Stories
Doors open at 3 p.m. for a pre-show fashion experience, networking and resources, per the event listing on attrinc.org. Attendees can expect a meet and greet, a pre-model display, networking, a 360-photo booth experience and additional resources before the main event, the same account notes. The 2026 event will honor women who have bravely survived various forms of cancer, and featured “Still Models,” both women and men, will take the runway to share their reasons for participating.
Dushon Johnson, executive director of At The Table, said the fashion show is bigger than fashion, per the station's report. Johnson has invited everyone to join the September 27 Still I Rise event, the outlet adds. Guests will experience fashion, dinner, entertainment and survivor stories, and organizers say every guest in the room will be supporting the cancer-survivor cause.
Survivors Share What The Program Meant to Them
Two of the women modeling this year are survivor models and community advocates: Tonya Kelly and Chandol Anderson. Kelly told WSYX that At The Table provided connection, encouragement, resources and a supportive community beyond her cancer journey. Anderson told the station that the organization gave her a place to share her story, connect with other women, and find hope and support.
Renee Rawls described the event as a celebration of strength, resilience and empowerment, according to the same report. Dr. Deepa Halaharvi said education, early detection, prevention and access to resources can make a difference, the station notes, and added that medical professionals, survivors and the community coming together helps turn awareness into action.
Raffle, Sponsorships and a Student Presentation
The event also includes a 50/50 cash raffle, and attendees are encouraged to bring cash to participate, according to attrinc.org. Organizers have also built in a special presentation from students of Forest Park Elementary as part of the afternoon's program, per the same listing. Sponsorship options let donors cover seats for cancer survivors, purchase a table of eight, or sponsor four of the featured models, the nonprofit notes.
Johnson and the organization frame every ticket, donation and sponsorship as a way to help At The Table continue its work, per WSYX. Event information and tickets are available at attrinc.org. The broader public-health backdrop behind survivorship events like this one includes research cited by the World Health Organization, which notes that between 30% and 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies.
