Friendships are finally getting their due. Once relegated to a distant third position after life partners and children, a spate of new books are spotlighting the importance of friends. And research shows that people with close friends are healthier – both emotionally...
Purpose Prize
The Latest from CoGenerate
An Intergenerational Approach to Getting Families Housed in Santa Barbara
Lyiam Galo is the co-director of Generations United for Service, a program of the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way and one of 10 awardees of the CoGen Challenge to Advance Economic Opportunity. Watch for interviews with all 10 of these innovators bringing...
Utilizing Faith-Owned Land to Strengthen Intergenerational Community in Seattle
E.N. West is the co-founder and lead organizer of the Faith Land Initiative of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, one of 10 awardees of the CoGen Challenge to Advance Economic Opportunity. Watch for interviews with all 10 of these innovators bringing older and...
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Charlie Stayton
(1943-2008)
Purpose Prize Fellow 2006
Increasing breast and cervical cancer awareness among African American women.
A survivor of cervical cancer, Charlie Stayton, 63, joined the Witness Project as a volunteer in 1990 and was later hired as director of the organization. The Witness Project is a breast and cervical cancer education and outreach program targeting African American, minority, and medically underserved women in the Delta region of Arkansas.Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States, and yet many women delay screenings for a range of reasons – limited knowledge of the disease, misunderstanding of appropriate screening frequency, restricted access to screening and treatment, and lack of insurance coverage. Volunteers for the Witness Project visit women in African American churches, community centers, and work sites and teach them about the benefits of early detection through self exams and mammography. To facilitate screening appointments, program volunteers connect the women with child care and transportation. Free and low cost screenings as well as cancer treatment are also made available to program participants. Under Stayton’s direction, the Witness Project has expanded to serve thousands of women in Arkansas each year and has inspired a network of 33 similar programs in 22 states.