Milestones
In 1978, Breast Cancer Network of Strength was founded over a kitchen table by Mimi Kaplan and Ann Marcou. Today, Network of Strength is a national organization that has helped revolutionize the way breast cancer patients access information and make decisions about their healthcare.
Milestones
1989 24-hour Network of Strength National Breast Cancer Hotline (1-800-221-2141) is made available to anyone touched by or concerned about breast cancer or breast health. The Hotline is staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors.
1978 Breast Cancer Network of Strength is founded by breast cancer patients Mimi Kaplan and Ann Marcou to provide peer support and fellowship to breast cancer patients.
1989 24-hour Network of Strength National Breast Cancer Hotline (1-800-221-2141) is made available to anyone touched by or concerned about breast cancer or breast health. The Hotline is staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors.
1994 Spanish Hotline (1-800-986-9505) is introduced to provide breast cancer support and information to the Latino population.
Men's Match Program is developed to provide peer support to men whose partners have breast cancer. Male callers to the 24-hour National Breast Cancer Hotline are matched with men who are trained peer counselors who have had a similar experience.
1999 Breast Cancer Network of Strength expands teen breast health educational program nationally.
2000 ShareRing Network is launched to provide a free, monthly one-hour teleconference featuring a breast cancer related presentation by a healthcare professional followed by a question and answer session and moderated, small group discussion for anyone touched by and/or concerned about breast cancer.
2002 Web site design and navigation overhauled to give users better access to information and support, in Spanish and English.
2003 24-hour Network of Strength National Breast Cancer Hotline expands to include interpreters in 150 languages.
Network of Strength launches two programs: A Day for You, a free and confidential program devised to promote breast health awareness in medically underserved communities; and Friends of Ann and Mimi, to help women in underserved communities navigate the complexity of the healthcare system.
2004 Network of Strength launches its re-tooled Hotline and institutes a new peer counselor training and certification program that allows volunteers all over the country help ensure no one faces breast cancer alone.
2005 Modeled after the Network of Strength RACE in Chicago, the "Walk to Empower" is launched in San Diego and Houston on Mother's Day.
Printed materials and Web site content become available in languages such as Tagalog, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, as well as Spanish.