CRMC Foundation receives $25,000 from the Walmart Foundation
CBJ Admin
Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012
The Cookeville Regional Foundation recently received a $25,000 donation from the Walmart Foundation. Gathering in celebration, are, from left in front, Michelle Zellner, director of imaging at CRMC; Sondra Hawkins, personnel coordinator at the Sparta Wal-Mart; and Ritchie Houge, director of the CRMC Foundation; and in back, Bart Hillis, membership manager at Cookeville Sam’s Club; Carl Hooper, store manager at Algood Walmart; and Brad Downs, store manager at Cookeville Walmart.
Donation will help continue mammography assistance for women throughout Upper Cumberland region
COOKEVILLE – The Cookeville Regional Medical Center Foundation has received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to help provide screening mammograms and diagnostic services for uninsured and underinsured women. The grant, which was provided by the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program, will help promote the early detection of breast cancer among women in the Upper Cumberland region through the CRMC Foundation’s Save a Life Mammogram Project.
Specifically, the funds will be used to provide breast cancer education, communicate the importance of screening mammography for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, encourage women to receive a yearly mammogram, provide diagnostic follow up services to any of woman whose mammogram indicates the possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis, and help women navigate the breast cancer treatment process. Aimed at high-risk populations and the underinsured or noninsured, the Save a Life Mammogram program offers many screening opportunities, with even more to be made possible over the next year by the Walmart grant. Since starting the project in 2008, more than 1,000 women from throughout the Upper Cumberland region have taken advantage of this program.
“The Pink Ribbon Save a Life Project has played an important role in the health of uninsured and underinsured women in the Upper Cumberland region,” said Michelle Zellner, director of the Imaging Department at CRMC. “Women tend to take care of everyone else before taking care of themselves. If funds are scarce within a family, they are spent on others first. This program gives these women access to screening mammograms at no cost and assists those with positive findings. Funding from the Walmart Corporation for this project is truly a blessing and is evidence of Walmart’s continued effort to positively impact people’s lives. I have worked many of the screening events and have witnessed first-hand the impact this program has on these women and the appreciation they have for the assistance.”
The impact of the Pink Ribbon Save a Life Project cannot be understated.
“When I lost my job, I went on Social Security, and on Social Security, you can’t afford insurance,” said a breast cancer survivor who received her free mammogram through the project and who wishes to remain anonymous. “I’m so thankful the Pink Ribbon Project was there to help me. I believe the Walmart Foundation’s support for the project will encourage others to learn more about breast cancer and participate in the program – just as the project’s support from our local affiliate of the Komen Foundation and the Cookeville Regional Medical Center Foundation’s Cancer Fund encouraged me to have my mammogram.”
“The Walmart Foundation is very pleased to be supporting Cookeville Regional Medical Center Foundation, and is committed to helping those in need in the communities where we serve,” said Walmart market manager Dawn Blocker. “Through this grant, we hope at-risk residents in the state of Tennessee will seek out the information made available through this project and take advantage of the breast cancer screenings offered through the Pink Ribbon Save a Life Project.”
The contribution to CRMC Foundation was made possible through the Walmart Foundation’s Tennessee State Giving Program. Through this program, the Walmart Foundation supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better. The Walmart Foundation State Giving Program strives to award grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S.
Last year in Tennessee, Walmart gave more than $21.1 million in cash and in-kind donations to local organizations in the communities it serves. Through additional funds donated by customers and Walmart and Sam’s Club associates throughout the state, the retailer’s contributions in Tennessee totaled more than $23.4 million.
Mire information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.
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