TINA ACTION PROGRAMS OF WEST MARIN
Gay Cain, Program Manager; Molly Edwards; Kathy Perkins; Joanne Sims; Bonny White
Named for a teacher whose untimely death from breast cancer inspired a community to take action, Tina Action Programs is a grassroots organization of West Marin women dedicated to the prevention of breast cancer. Since organizing in response to Marin's high incidence of breast cancer and a suspected cluster in a local school, TAPS has developed a model breast health outreach project that has featured free breast exams in partnership with the Coastal Health Alliance, a traveling community Breast Cancer Reference Collection in partnership with Marin County Free Library, and extensive community participation in issue identification, data collection and creating values-based guidance for action plans. These efforts provide innovative breast health resources to a community where access to services is often limited by cost and transportation issues.
This founder’s award is particularly meaningful to the TAPPERs and to Marin Breast Cancer Watch as Francine's visits early in their history served to help inspire the originators as they developed the organization and its programs. The close bond that is evident among Gay Cain, Molly Edwards, Kathy Perkins, Joanne Sims, and Bonny White is a striking reminder that "love is the strongest medicine."
