Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families Program honors Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, actor Amanda Peet, congressional spouses Heather Obernolte and Colleen Ochoa Peters
媒体联系人：
凯拉·梅斯特
703-836-1746
kyra.meister@preventcancer.org
Washington, D.C. – The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families® Program held its 33rd Annual Action for Cancer Awareness Awards luncheon on Thursday, September 24 on Capitol Hill. The bipartisan initiative recognized Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with the 特别表彰奖, actor, writer and advocate Amanda Peet with the Excellence in Cancer Awareness Award, and congressional spouses 希瑟·奥伯诺特 (married to Representative Jay Obernolte, California) and 科琳·奥乔亚·彼得斯 (married to Senator Gary Peters, Michigan) with the Congressional Families Leadership Award.
The Congressional Families Program’s signature event is widely attended by members of Congress and their spouses, as well as leaders in the cancer prevention community and Program supporters, to recognize the contributions of those using their platforms to educate the public about cancer prevention and early detection. This year’s event celebrated the Program’s 35th anniversary.
莉萨·麦戈文, executive director of the Congressional Families Program, served as emcee. “As we celebrate 35 years of the Congressional Families Program, we are proud to recognize leaders who have used their voices, platforms and personal experiences to advance cancer prevention and early detection,” said McGovern. “Each honoree demonstrates how using one’s voice can educate communities, inspire action, and ultimately, save lives.”
More about the 2026 honorees:
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
特别表彰奖
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been a steadfast champion of the Congressional Families Program and the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s work to stop cancer and save lives. Throughout her career, she has helped elevate the importance of cancer prevention and early detection. Her leadership in expanding access to affordable health care through the Affordable Care Act helped millions gain coverage and access to preventive services, including lifesaving cancer screenings. She has also been a tireless advocate for lowering health care and prescription drug costs. Her enduring belief that quality health care should be accessible at every stage of life has reinforced her longstanding support for cancer prevention, early detection, research and care, helping improve the lives of communities across the nation.
Amanda Peet, actor, writer and advocate
癌症认知杰出奖
Amanda Peet is an actor, writer and advocate. She is known for her versatile performances and, in 2025, she won the SXSW Special Jury Award for her performance in Fantasy Life. She can currently be seen in the Apple TV+ hit series Your Friends & Neighbors. Amanda is also a successful playwright. Her debut play, The Commons of Pensacola, was produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and starred Blythe Danner and Sarah Jessica Parker. She also created the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Chair, which starred Sandra Oh. In March 2026, Amanda penned a personal essay for The New Yorker, opening up about navigating her breast cancer diagnosis at a time when both her parents were in hospice.
Heather Obernolte (married to Representative Jay Obernolte, California)
国会家庭领袖奖
Since joining the Congressional Families Program in 2021, Heather Obernolte has been an active and dedicated member, serving on the Advisory Committee and a frequent participant in awareness and educational events held virtually and on Capitol Hill, including distributing sunscreen to Capitol Police and sharing colorectal cancer awareness information for congressional offices as part of the “Kiss Colorectal Cancer Goodbye” awareness event. Like too many, Obernolte’s family has been personally impacted by cancer, losing her sister-in-law to the disease in 2024. Heather works with other congressional spouses to help ensure that, by raising awareness and inspiring action, fewer families will lose loved ones to cancer.
科琳·奥乔亚·彼得斯 (married to Senator Gary Peters, Michigan)
国会家庭领袖奖
Colleen Ochoa Peters has been a trusted leader, ambassador and champion of the Congressional Families Program since 2009. She assumed a greater leadership role by joining the Executive Council in 2021, serving as a bipartisan liaison to Senate spouses. Colleen has helped connect families in Michigan with vital health information and has participated in numerous Program initiatives, from Capitol Hill awareness events to site visits showcasing community-based cancer prevention and screening programs. Notably, in 2018, she took part in the Program’s first bipartisan, bicameral site visit, traveling to McLaren Northern Michigan to highlight lung cancer prevention education and screening services supported by a Prevent Cancer Foundation community grant.
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About the Congressional Families Program
The Congressional Families® Program is a bipartisan, non-political initiative founded in 1991 to increase the public’s understanding of cancer prevention and early detection through education and outreach. Members of Congress and their spouses/partners are supported in using their unique platforms to raise awareness, highlight resources and inspire action in their home districts and states through site visits, op-eds and social media content, building a community focused on stopping cancer nationwide.
When the Congressional Families Program launched as a partnership between the Prevent Cancer Foundation and The Congressional Club, initial efforts focused on breast cancer. The success of the Program’s first five years led to the expansion of its scope to include colorectal, liver, lung, oral, prostate, skin, testicular and cervical cancers, as well as HPV-related cancers.
如需了解更多信息，请访问 www.congressionalfamilies.org.
关于预防癌症基金会
预防癌症基金会® is the only U.S.-based nonprofit organization solely dedicated to cancer prevention and early detection. Through research, education, advocacy and community, we have helped countless people avoid a cancer diagnosis or detect their cancer early enough to be successfully treated. We are driven by a vision of a world where cancer is preventable, detectable and beatable for all.
基金会正奋起应对到 2035 年将癌症死亡人数减少 40% 的挑战。为实现这一目标，我们承诺投资 $2000 万美元用于创新技术，以早期发现癌症并推进多癌筛查，投资 $1000 万美元用于扩大医疗服务不足社区的癌症筛查和疫苗接种机会，并投资 $1000 万美元用于教育公众有关筛查和疫苗接种的选择。
For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.