Everywhere you looked pink was plastered around for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2016. I have never been a huge fan of pink, so the fact that I found myself wearing pink less than 24 hours after starting my NHC Florida AmeriCorps position with The Bosom Buddies at The Women’s Center of Jacksonville came as a shock to us all.  My site mentor Lisa Wright, the program Coordinator for Bosom Buddies, described AmeriCorps impact on services as, "The AmeriCorps program brings a fresh perspective as well as focused energy to the Bosom Buddies Program of the Woman's Center of Jacksonville. Having the AmeriCorps member serve with Bosom Buddies enables us to broaden our outreach to our local community."

 

When I started, I was thrown into a world of pink, a world of laughter and smiles, a world of occasional tears, and a world of incredibly strong women. The Bosom Buddies is a program that offers emotional and physical support to women dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. In the short time that I have been here, I have already seen the impact that this program has had on so many women in the community. 

Breast cancer is a disease that unfortunately effects so many women and men in our community and the world.  Many of these people lack the support system and the resources they need to fight their hardest battle. At the Women’s Center, we strive to be that source of support. We want to give women a comfortable place to come where they can surround themselves with others who understand, provide services to women who would otherwise be unable to afford them, and educate the community, so they know how they can help. We painted the city pink in October!

The Bosom Buddies are like family to each other and their welcome has already made me feel like a member of the family.  I am honored to have at least 40 “new moms”, and I can’t wait to see what the family has in store for me!

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This blog post was written by NHC Florida member, Hannah English.

Hannah serves at the Women's Center of Jacksonville as an Outreach Coordinator.