Unstoppable Together: Celebrating 25 Years of the Sister to Sister Fitness Festival

For 25 years, the Sister to Sister Fitness Festival has created space for community, care, and action in the fight against breast cancer. Hosted by the Celebrating Life Foundation, founded by Sylvia Powers, this annual gathering continues its mission to educate, encourage, and empower the community through awareness, early detection, screenings, and support for people affected by breast cancer.

This year’s 25th anniversary theme, “Unstoppable Together,” reflects the spirit that has carried the festival forward for a quarter century. The event centers Black women while welcoming all cultures, and it meets people where they are with encouragement, health information, and support that recognizes both personal and financial challenges that can come with a breast cancer journey.

Why the Festival Matters

The Sister to Sister Fitness Festival has long been more than a date on the calendar. It is a community-based effort rooted in compassion and practical help. The work behind the event supports awareness and early detection while also making room for real conversations around wellness, survivorship, and the needs of individuals and families affected by breast cancer.

That focus matters because support is rarely one-dimensional. People navigating health challenges often need information, community, and access to resources all at once. This festival brings those pieces together in one place with energy, warmth, and purpose.

What to Expect

The morning will include movement, community connection, and programming designed to inspire and inform. Attendees can look forward to the 5K Walk & Run, along with fitness, food, and fun as part of the anniversary celebration.

Official flyer for the 25th Annual Sister to Sister Fitness Festival.

The flyer also highlights featured programming and personalities throughout the event, including Cassie Cass as the Shake Body Dance Workout leader. Kick-off coaches featured on the program are Judge Nicole Taylor, Melissa Bradford, and Roxanne Martinez. The event will also include Lynne Kelly, The Diva with the Voice, as host, along with Chris Arnold, identified on the flyer as a Dallas Morning News alumnus and Texas radio host/former radio personality.

Featured Guests and Community Leaders

A special highlight of this year’s festival is Jayne Kennedy, actress, author, sportscaster, and producer, who is listed as the featured special guest.

Jayne Kennedy’s career has spanned television specials, prime-time guest appearances, film, Bob Hope’s USO Christmas tour, national spokesperson work including Coca-Cola, acting, writing, producing, and hosting her fitness series Love Your Body.

Jayne Kennedy, special guest at the 25th Annual Sister to Sister Fitness Festival.

She also made history as one of the first female sports anchors and the first African-American woman in that role on CBS’s The NFL Today. Her work has been recognized with the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress for Body & Soul, the Roone Arledge Award for Innovation, the Black Enterprise Women of Power Legacy Award, recognition from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the 2025 Sam Lacy Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to joining the festival as a featured guest, Jayne Kennedy is also known for her memoir, Plain Jayne.

Plain Jayne, Jayne Kennedy's memoir.

The event also recognizes Helen Giddings, former state representative, as honorary chairperson, and honors the vision of Sylvia Powers, founder of the Celebrating Life Foundation, whose leadership helped build this 25-year tradition of awareness, advocacy, and support.

Event Details

The 25th Annual Sister to Sister Fitness Festival will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recreation Center, 310 E. Parkerville Road, Cedar Hill, TX 75104.

If you plan to attend, you can register here: Sister to Sister Fitness Festival Registration.

Ways to Participate

If you want to join the festival as a participant, the registration link above is the best place to start. If you are interested in vendor participation, visit the official event page at celebratinglife.org/sister-to-sister and click Vendor Form for more information.

Sponsors and Community Partners

According to the official sponsorship deck, sponsor and partner support for the Sister to Sister Fitness Festival includes Methodist Charlton Medical Center, Parkland Health, Circle Gx, City of Cedar Hill, Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recreation Center, Walgreens, Nu Standard, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Herbal Goodness, Veritex Community Bank, Frost Bank, Huntington Bank, DeSoto Parks and Recreation, AARP Texas, LexisNexis, Spirit Airlines, La Madeleine, KRNB/K104, WFAA Channel 8, and Texas Metro News, along with many other valued community partners.

For an additional event reference, you can also view the festival social post here: Instagram event flyer.

As the Sister to Sister Fitness Festival marks 25 years, the message remains clear: community care saves lives, support makes a difference, and no one should face this journey alone. On October 3, Cedar Hill will once again be a place where awareness, encouragement, and action come together — unstoppable together.