September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so we dedicate this issue of Be Inkandescent magazine to the women and their loved ones who have struggled with this disease.

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2015, more than 21,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and more than 14,000 US women died from it.

“A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 75,” according to Vanda Soldati, the chapter manager of the Delaware Valley National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. “Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100.”

Unfortunately, most cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed late, when the prognosis is poor, Soldati says, but points out the positive — that if caught early, the five-year survival rate is over 90 percent.

“There is currently no early-detection test for ovarian cancer, nor is there a vaccination to prevent the disease,” Soldati adds. “The key to early diagnosis is awareness.”

Making more people aware of the disease was the mission for Soldati and hundreds of others who turned out on July 30, 2016, to support the 2nd Sherri’s Walk by the Water, an event that attracted nearly 400 people who were inspired to put an end to a disease that the American Cancer Society calls a silent killer.

“Our goal was to raise as much money as possible for ovarian cancer research,” explains Sherri’s daughter, Rachel Gendelman, who with her father, Bob, created the Sherri S. Gendelman Fund for Ovarian Cancer Research and organized the annual Sherri’s Walk by the Water.

Starting at 8 AM at Margate, New Jersey’s famous Lucy the Elephant museum, the sea of supporters took a two-mile walk down the beach to touch the pier that Sherri and her family strolled to for decades. By noon, $79,149 had been raised.

Scroll down for our Q&A with the Gendelmans and their team of supporters.

Also in this issue:

You’ll meet a dozen of our favorite nonprofits and fundraising experts who share their mission, vision, and tips for successful fundraising, including:

• Wendy Smith, author of “Give a Little,” who says, “It’s not the size of the contribution that matters. What matters are the outcomes your giving produces.” Learn more about her in our Book of the Month.

• Charles Best, founder of Donors Choose. “I knew there were people from all walks of life around the country who would want to help improve our public schools,” says the man who helps school teachers fund the projects they know will help their students. Discover more in this month’s Education column.

• Robert Egger is “Begging for Change,” and explains why fundraisers shouldn’t reinvent philanthropy. “Just as there are too many nonprofits duplicating services, there are too many corporations and foundations duplicating philanthropic efforts.” Learn more in our Finance column.

We leave you with this parting thought from social business expert Dr. Muhammad Yunus: “As I have always said, human beings have a natural desire to help one another. It’s a motivating force that is just as powerful as the desire for profit. Social business taps and satisfies this desire to do good.”

Here’s to doing good while doing well. — Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Be Inkandescent magazine • founder, Inkandescent Public Relations