In 2021, as the pandemic continues, Gateway to Hope is reimagining our annual gala to be a month-long campaign to raise critical awareness and funds Breast Cancer Action Month.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated disparities among our most vulnerable populations. Breast cancer affects everyone, yet it does not affect everyone equally. Health disparities adversely affect individuals who have systematically experienced social or economic obstacles to health, based on their racial or ethnic group and socioeconomic status. For example, in St. Louis County, a Black woman istwo times more likely to die of breast cancerthan a white woman. Black women ages 18-45 the women who are raising the next generation of this regions citizens, scholars, and leaders are four times more likely to die of breast cancer than their white counterparts.

During COVID, we know that cancers are going undiagnosed; it is estimated that there are over 40,000 cases of undetected cancers across America primarily in low-income groups. This is most certainly a crisis within a crisis and is something we need to urgently address.

Gateway to Hopes Breast Cancer Action Month will bring together philanthropists, experts, and community members to create solutions we can all invest in. It will also feature a call-to-action for our community, providing opportunities for supporters to donate in support for Gateway to Hopes mission-critical work, advocate for equitable and accessible healthcare for all people diagnosed with breast cancer, and raise awareness for the importance of breast cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. Necessary funds raised in conjunction with this campaign will benefit our mission: to remove barriers to affordable, timely, quality healthcare, empowering people with breast cancer to face the disease and focus on healing.