Breast Care for Washington (BCW), a female-owned facility that caters to the health needs of all women, recently held its “Women of Vision” fundraiser for the center, which serves more than a thousand patients in Ward 7 and 8 yearly.
The Sept. 13 event at the McDermott Building in Northwest championed women nationwide who have proactively given back to their communities, said Dr. Regina Hampton, the organization’s co-founder.
“Today we want to let more people know what we do and tell stories about the women here, spread the word for women without insurance that they have a place to go along with those that do,” Hampton said. “The funds for tonight’s event will all go to patiemts care and are passion for serving women.”
The event was attended by a diverse array of women who had either experienced breast cancer themselves or knew someone who had or were currently experiencing breast complications, including BCW outreach specialist Donita Caldwell.
“I used to be a patient at BCW,” Caldwell said. “I initially came to the facility to receive a mammogram because of my family’s history with breast cancer, despite my doctors telling me that I was too young for a mammogram.
“I was constantly feeling pain in my breast so after I took my mammogram at BCW, they told me that they had found something in breast, but because I caught the issue early, I was able to catch things early and prevent myself from forming any type of breast cancer,” she said. “That’s why facilities like these are so important. During my treatments, the staff felt like a family. Everyone was so nice my entire time I was treated and it prompted me to want to do more, to work in my community and to help others out there struggling with the same things no matter the age or economic background.”
The event featured colors of pale pink and silver strewn across the tabletops and chairs, hor d’oeuvres and elaborate auction items.
Among those honored at the ceremony were Debbi Jarvis, vice president of corporate relations for Pepco Holdings; Dorothy Gibbons, co-founder and CEO of The Rose, a breast care facility in Houston; and Nancy Brinker, Susan G. Komen founder.
“I am truly moved by this honor and very humbled,” Brinker said. “You have done such an enormously important thing here in Washington and I thank you so much for supporting BCW. This is an organization that is making not just a tremendous difference in Washington and in our capital, but all over the world. It will be seen and it will be known and it is a stunning success.”