Saving the Winkley Women's Center
It was 12 years ago when Jane Winkley, a breast cancer survivor and longtime resident of the Flathead Valley, heard about women in rural Montana who had to drive more than 80 miles for a mammogram and then wait months for their test results. In Jane's mind that just wasn't right. No woman should have to go so far and wait so long for such necessary care. She developed a plan, or what some might call a vision, to bring breast care resources to women in rural Montana.
In 2008 that vision became a reality when the Winkley Women's Center coach began breast cancer screening and diagnostic services for approximately 2000 patients per year. In 11 years, the Winkley coach has logged more than 325,000 miles and provided nearly 21,000 mammograms, resulting in 160 cancers detected. As with time and frequent use, the original 2D technology aboard the coach has become outdated and nonfunctional—nearly retiring Winkley's mobile services.
Our
Save a Sister initiative forged ahead to save Winkley's vision by taking the lead in the fundraising efforts to continue to bring breast screenings to women across the state. The KRH Foundation set forth to raise just over a million dollars for a new vehicle back in spring of 2019. As a result, three Cut Bank middle schoolers—Jocelyn Taylor, Michaela Osborne, and Adysson Evans—held a bake sale at the Lewis and Clark Festival in July 2019 to help raise money for the service they knew was so essential to their community. In total, they raised $109.50 for the project. Inspired by their efforts, donors all across the state and beyond began donation in variations of that number, including checks for $10,950 and $100,109.50.
A $500,000 donation was made in fall of 2019 for the naming rights of the new vehicle, in which the anonymous donor humbly elected to name it “Winkley Mobile Mammography,” to continue honoring the legacy of Jane Winkley.
We believe, now more than ever, that
no woman should have to wait. Thank you to our generous community of donors.
Our Goal
"If it saves one life, it was worth every penny." - Jane Winkley
The Save a Sister mission is to lessen the impact of breast cancer in our community. As of now, due to community needs, there is a temporary leased mammography coach, which will travel to nine different sites in northwest Montana until we have a permanent solution.
Our vision is to not only bring mobile services back to rural Montana, but to have an updated vehicle with modern 3D mammography technology along with bone density and ultrasound scanning equipment. With the mobile truck and chassis costing $550,000 and the 3D mammography and scanning technology at $470,000, our ready-to-hit-the-road price tag totals at
$1,020,000.
