Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Fund

The Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Fund is dedicated to ensuring low-income Alexandrians have access to mammograms and other preventive services. 

In the United States, over the course of a lifetime, one in 8 women will develop breast cancer, the second most deadly form of cancer for women.

According to a recent report by the Alexandria Commission for Women, in our city, as is the case across the nation, black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. From 2011 to 2015, the mortality rate for black women in Alexandria was 31.3 per 100,000 women, compared to a rate of 20.8 for white women. 

And while Alexandria has high rates of health insurance coverage, 12 percent of women do not have health insurance. While Medicaid expansion helped alleviate health care challenges, more work is needed. We can fill this need by eliminating cost as a barrier to getting essential healthcare services. 

Through partnerships with local health care providers the Fund underwrites mammograms for Alexandrians who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover these life-saving screenings. The Fund is managed by board an all volunteer board. 

For just $200, you can underwrite a mammogram for a woman in need.  We welcome any level of support you can give, and hope you will consider making a donation to the Fund.