In addition to the free mammograms, educational materials and other valuable information on prevention will be disseminated. The breast cancer screenings are one initiative in Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Women’s Healthcare and Wellness program.
“Breast cancer screening and awareness is vitally important to African-American women because early detection saves lives. I am beyond excited to bring this free service to our communities within San Francisco and Oakland, and look forward to great participation in this initiative of service from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated,” explained Far Western Regional Director Carol R. Dixon.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has become an even more formidable opponent in the fight against breast cancer with the new mobile unit. In addition to the free mammograms, educational materials and other valuable information on prevention will be disseminated. The breast cancer screenings are one initiative in Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Women’s Healthcare and Wellness program.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha members stand boldly in this fight against breast cancer which is the number one cancer among women,” said Alpha Kappa Alpha International President Glenda Glover. “This is an extremely important moment in the history of Alpha Kappa Alpha because for 111 years, the sorority has implemented innovative programs that improve the lives of women, men, and children across the globe. Our legacy of exemplary service continues with the new AKA Mammography Mobile Unit.”
AKA is committed to reaching 100,000 women over the next four years. Chapters will also partner with local clinics, rural health centers, and hospitals to emphasize the need for African-American women to receive regular mammograms.
“The key focus of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s breast cancer initiative is to provide women access to early detection and education when it comes to the disease,” said AKA International Program Chairman Ora Douglass. “Our overall mission is to help reduce the factors that lead to breast cancer in African-American women by having them visit our AKA Mammography Mobile Unit.”
About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African-American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of nearly 300,000 members in more than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Liberia, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, and in the Middle East. Led by International President Glenda Glover PhD, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, is often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African-American women.” For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha and its programs, visit www.aka1908.com
The Far Western Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. consists of chapters in nine states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington), which constitutes the Sorority’s largest geographic region. In 1921, the 8th International President Ida Louise Jackson established Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s first undergraduate chapter in the Far West with the chartering of Rho Chapter on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. In 1927, Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter, the first graduate chapter in the Far Western Region, was founded.