October is Breast Cancer awareness month and Athens County celebrates through events with organizations like The Ohio Pink Ribbon Fund, Hocking Athens Perry Community Action and more.
Nonprofit organizations in the area look to raise awareness and break down barriers Southeast Ohio residents face when looking for screenings and overall access to resources to help catch early signs.
Hocking Athens Perry Community Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals in Southeast Ohio by providing basic resources. In collaboration with Ohio Health and CareSource, the organizations put on their annual Brake for Breakfast event on Oct. 1.
Brake for Breakfast is a drive-through event offering free to-go breakfast and resources provided by the organizations. Ohio Health also offers an on-site mobile mammography unit and the opportunity to schedule yearly screenings.
The organizations, alongside many volunteers, brought their pink mindset to the event this past week.
Jesse Reed, serves as the senior director of life services at Ohio CareSource, which has been a co-sponsor of the event since the first Brake for Breakfast in 2020. Reed said the event highlights the importance of partnership in the area to make the event happen.
“It speaks to the importance of partnerships,” Reed said. “We’re here with our great partners from Ohio Health, from HAPCAP, so it’s really a team effort putting this together. You’ll see as the folks are coming through, they’re greeted with smiles, they’re greeted with a warm breakfast and the mobile mammography unit is the star of the show.”
A large portion of Athens County faces barriers within healthcare with primary care being one of the biggest gaps, according to metrics found by PlainHealthAccess. The organizations sponsoring Brake for Breakfast aim to bring accessible healthcare resources to the area.
Heather Rockhold, imaging manager for Ohio Health, has been a part of the event since its kickoff in 2020. Rockhold said it is important for events to be in the area, making free resources more accessible.
“We’re in Appalachia, and we have an event where people can come,” Rockhold said. “We’re out where people can get to us. There’s actually a bus stop that stops here. People can drive through in their car. We’ve had people walk through, and it’s about getting where the people are because this event is about community.”
Rockhold said that the core of the event is celebrating breast cancer awareness and encouraging early screenings for early detection.
“Brake for Breakfast is about community,” Rockhold said. “It’s about bringing a lot of energy about breast cancer awareness, and even bringing the ability to screen on the day of. A lot of it is not just the mammograms; it’s also that community vibe.”
Along with Brake for Breakfast, organizations are looking to spread awareness through local events. The Ohio Pink Ribbon Fund will be hosting Spa Night, a wellness event fundraising to support breast cancer survivors in Southeast Ohio and West Virginia.
The event will take place on Oct. 16 at 5 p.m., and tickets start at $50 for non-survivors. All survivors will get free entry. The event will be held at Athens Elks Lodge, located at 600 W. Union St. Updates can also be found on their Instagram, @ohiopinkribbon.
The Ohio Pink Ribbon Fund is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing financial support to breast cancer survivors. The organization currently supports Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, and Washington counties in Southeast Ohio and Wood County, in West Virginia.
Lee Wood, founder and director of the Ohio Pink Ribbon Fund, created the organization in 2013, serving her first patient in 2014. Wood said the organization was founded to provide financial help and hope for those fighting cancer.
“To be able to make ends meet when you’re trying to get through cancer, it’s just a huge stress,” Wood said. “Just being able to provide some help to them while they’re through the darkest time, because it really is a difficult time to get through when you don’t know what’s going to happen and you’re trying to make it day by day. So to be able to give them a little bit of hope for that and to give them some resources, that’s why we just kind of do this whole region.”
Throughout the month of October and beyond, these organizations continue to uplift and bring awareness to breast cancer, striving to give more access to valuable resources. During Brake for Breakfast, Rockhold said the events continue to inspire positivity and bring awareness.
“This is the whole purpose is finding it early and celebrating those people that have survived,” Rockhold said. “Most people know someone that has had breast cancer, whether it be a loved one, a friend, a neighbor and so we’re bringing the community together in October in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and really celebrating it and keeping it a positive vibe.”
