Long-Running Bake Sale Still Saving Lives; Muffins for Mammograms Program Starts Its Third Decade; Prime Example of People Helping People
Akron, OH (PRWEB) October 01, 2013 -- Reporters and Editors NOTE: Interviews are available.
The year was 1992. The idea was to sell muffins to raise money to provide lifesaving mammograms for women who could not afford them. Today, Akron General Health System’s Muffins for Mammograms program has raised more than $625,000 that has gone to provide free mammograms to nearly 8,500 women with little or no health insurance.
The woman at the heart of the program is Mary Brackle. She took the program over in its second year and has worked tirelessly to raise funds ever since.
“Muffins for Mammograms has become a fall tradition which has really grown over the years,” said Brackle. “Not only does the program engage the community to purchase tasty treats for a good cause, but it also saves lives.” In 2012, 802 women were screened through the program and 11 cancers were diagnosed and treated.
Diane, a great grandmother from the Akron area, is one of the many beneficiaries of the Muffins for Mammograms program. She is currently receiving treatment for her breast cancer that was diagnosed earlier this year.
The Muffins for Mammograms program is an outstanding example of a small idea that has had a lasting, powerful effect on a community and people in need. Mary Brackle and her team, including bakery provider Main Street Gourmet, have seen to it that the program continues and has grown. Other organizations have joined in to support the program through fundraising events, such as local radio station WQMX through its Bosom Buddies concert series.
Muffins can be purchased at five Akron General locations on October 16th. All orders include breast health educational materials.
An infographic with statistics about the Muffins program is attached and available for download at http://www.akrongeneral.org/web09/pdfs/CC/muffins4mammograms_infoG.pdf.
Jim Armstrong, Akron General Health System, +1 (330) 344-6083, [email protected]
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