Oneonta Burlesque and Drag Show Benefits Cancer Services Program
October 30, 2025
A benefit was held on October 4, 2025, at Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta that donated proceeds to Bassett Healthcare Network’s Cancer Services Program of the Central Region (CSP). CSP provides breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings and diagnostic services at no cost to those who qualify.
The benefit was called The BREAST of Burlesque and Drag: A Benefit for Breast Cancer Awareness. It was hosted by drag artists Laurance Lawless and Dottie Knockers and featured acts from almost a dozen other local performers. It was co-produced and marketed by William Cornette, who works in Human Resources at Bassett Healthcare Network.
A check for $600 raised was presented to Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network at FoxCare Center in Oneonta on October 24, 2025.
CSP secured a notable speaker for the event, Ayana Allard-Picou, MD, former Director of Oncologic Surgery at Bassett Healthcare Network and an attending surgeon. Dr. Allard-Picou discussed breast cancer screening, the importance of early detection, her personal experiences with her mother being diagnosed with breast cancer, and cancer statistics – particularly those concerning the LGBTQIA+ community – during her speech.
Bassett Healthcare Network is thankful to the organizers, artists, and everyone else involved in this successful celebration of creativity, expression, and breast cancer awareness.
A ceremonial check is presented by Laura Walsh (left), who performs as Laurance Lawless, and William Cornette (right), Human Resources Shared Services Assistant for Bassett Healthcare Network to Jessica Whitney (center), Public Education & Community Outreach Coordinator for the Cancer Services Program.
