5-16-09 Kent Auctioneers Queen of Hearts “Love Boat Gala”.

The three sisters and co-founders of the Queen of Hearts Foundation – Kim Beaudette, Lori Hunter and Cathy Grienke – couldn't have been more pleased. The non-profit they co-founded in 2000, after their mother Ann Dobbie's heartbreaking death from ovarian cancer, passed the $1 million mark in total funds raised with the $30,000 in net proceeds at the group's Love Boat Gala on May 16th at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach. "As a result of mom's death, we are committed to making sure other families in similar situations do not go through what we went through," Beaudette said. She said that all proceeds raised since the foundation's inception are devoted to research and early detection of ovarian cancer and in promoting public awareness and education. Currently, there is no early detection test for what is called the "whispering disease." The foundation's hook-up for ovarian cancer research at UC Irvine with the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center has been a good one, according to Beaudette. "Every doctor we've met through the program has been top-notch," she said. "They are not only bright and accomplished, they are compassionate."