
Grantee Spotlight
July
2009

Together We Make
a Difference
For the eighth consecutive
year, the Avon Foundation for Women contributed to Christiana
Care Health System’s Community Outreach - Helen F. Graham
Cancer, for its breast cancer awareness program supporting its
work on this important health issue and recognizing the
program’s excellence.
The grant from the Avon
Foundation Breast Care Fund helps continue our work to
encourage, educate and aid those in need. Christiana Care’s
programs focus on initial breast cancer screenings as well as
promoting annual screenings. For example, the Helping Hands for
Breast Health program provides reminder letters to those who
were screened the previous year. Hats Off for Breast Health
provides an interactive session for women to discuss and face
reasons why they fail to complete screenings.
Christiana Care’s Outreach
team and Avon Helping Hands for Breast Health Program have
collaborated with the Avon District Managers and Sales
Representatives of Delaware. Each year, we reach out to the
managers of local Avon representatives. Their involvement ranges
from meetings to one-on-one distribution of education materials.
In 2008, Deb Wilson, Avon
District Manager, once again agreed to have our Avon Outreach
Coordinator Kristin Barnes reach out to her network of 500
representatives. Kristin works with Deb and her team to educate
them on breast health, screenings and breast cancer statistics,
so that Avon representatives can help educate their own clients.
"This great opportunity helps me assure that our
representatives learn about care for themselves, sisters,
mothers, aunts, neighbors and encourages them to be an advocate
for others to practice breast health -- see a doctor, get an
annual screening,” says Deb.
Kristin also introduces
sales representatives to our “Pink” toolkits, consisting of a
pink purse and breast health information. These toolkits are a
fun way to educate the representatives on breast health and the
community resources available to them and their customers.
Kristin and her Outreach
co-workers have introduced several fun and engaging ideas on how
these sales representatives can help their customers, including:
¨
Hosting a Hat’s Off to Breast Cancer Myths event for existing
customers and their friends. The outreach team from the
Avon Helping Hands Program serves as presenters for the program.
¨
Inserting breast health information in Avon product order bags.
¨
Navigating customers in need of services to our Avon Helping
Hands Community Health Outreach Coordinator.
Thanks to this outreach
collaboration as well as our reminder system, women are getting
screened and re-screened. To date, we have reached more than
8,000 women, bringing breast health education, resources and
support into their lives.