Over 500 women attended the first annual Breakfast with Francine's Friends - to learn more about mobile mammography and early detection in the fight against breast cancer.

A group of local businesswomen and community leaders — Francine’s Friends — have come together and developed a mission to make early detection of breast cancer available to every woman in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area. Their vision is to increase cancer screenings in northeast Indiana by providing a highly accessible and visible community resource.

The group is named after Francine Schubert, the wife of a local physician who died as a result of breast cancer. We want to offer life-saving services to women in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area who might otherwise be unable to receive them because of financial or transportation issues. Francine’s Friends commitment was to raise the funds to purchase a used mobile mammography unit for our community and continue to raise funds each year to help support the program’s operating budget.

Francine’s Friends has joined forces with many other local partners to battle breast cancer and make an impact to address an identified need affecting women in Allen County. All of the partners offering support of this project will help Francine’s Friends address this women’s issue and utilize the community resources available.

Donna Emley, principal and creative director of Emley Design Group, is proud to be a founding board member of Francine's Friends. Emley Design Group also developed the identity and marketing/collateral materials for the launch of the mobile mammography initiative.

To find out more, become involved, or see an updated schedule of the mobile mammography unit, visit the website at www.FrancinesFriends.org.