Tazewell County Health Department’s (TCHD) Women’s Health programs have received a donation of nearly $8,000 from a member of the community. Michelle Dutton and her husband donated $7,752 to TCHD to assist uninsured and underinsured patients living in Tazewell, Peoria, Woodford, and Marshall Counties receive breast cancer screenings and diagnostics.

The Duttons raised the money through the Pledge the Pink Foundation, a charity organization based in South Carolina that helps to fund breast cancer screening, treatment, outreach, and research. Through Pledge the Pink, the Duttons collected more than 15,000 pounds of used shoes and sent them to Funds2Orgs, a non-profit organization that pays fundraisers for donated shoes. Those shoes are then sent to countries and communities in need of footwear around the world. Because their total donation was more than $5,000, the Duttons got to choose a breast cancer/breast health charity to donate 75% of the funds to, with Pledge the Pink receiving the other 25%. TCHD’s Women’s Health programs were an easy choice for Michelle.

“Early detection is key to finding and treating breast cancer,” Dutton said. “For every $100 raised, Pledge the Pink funds a mammogram for the underinsured. TCHD’s women’s health programs also help provide those services. I have used this program a couple of times to fund my yearly mammogram, so it made perfect sense for them to be my ‘Choose Your Charity.’”

The donation will specifically be used to help ensure that women who may not fit the exact criteria for other programs still get the breast screening services they need.

“We are thrilled that Michelle chose us as the recipient of her donation,” said Kim Gudzinskas, TCHD Supervisor of Community Health and Women’s Health program lead. “This money will allow us to assist women who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks and get the services they need. This money will help save lives.”

To learn more about women’s health programs at TCHD, visit the Health Department’s website.