At the Ten Year Mark, Barbells For Boobs Shifts to Redefine Standard of Care
For ten years now, Barbells for Boobs has helped support and fundraise for breast cancer prevention and awareness across the nation. Their mission is to build communities that take action in breast cancer. Thanks to Barbells for Boobs, to date 26,094 people now know that they do not have breast cancer and 51,539 early detection services have been funded while 362 cases of breast cancer have been detected.
This year they celebrated their ten year mark and also a shift in leadership. With it, Barbells for Boobs is taking a new direction with their efforts: To redefine the standard of care in breast health and improve quality of life post diagnoses and providing fitness Resources After Diagnosis (RAD) to breast cancer survivors and their community that supports them.
They’re also going back to their roots, and have shifted to being 100% managed by their Board and volunteers.
“Our community, the CrossFit community has the capacity to run this. Now that we’ve built out more than 200 survivors in the community that will do anything for us and we have 800 affiliates that fundraiser for us every year…I know it’s important to the community that the money goes right back into the community and creates this really great ecosystem,” Zionna Hanson, who just stepped down as CEO in May, told us in an interview.
Here are some of the ways Barbells for Boobs will serve the community moving forward:
- Dx to Rx (currently 45 active scholarships): Need-based 1-year scholarships for breast cancer patients / survivors to offset the costs of membership dues at RAD-approved CrossFit affiliates nationwide.
- Collective (Collaboration with PowerMonkey in October sending 13 survivors): Health and wellness retreats for breast cancer survivors to come together to build community, learn, grow, and thrive in survivorship through exercise, nutrition, recovery and support funded with a grant from CrossFit HQ.
- Network (150 Fitness Professionals): A powerful community of fitness and medical professionals who have been educated through the Education Library to be better able to assist those impacted by breast cancer to safely incorporate physical activity as a cornerstone of their overall care plan.
- Library (44 education courses): Online directory of educational resources on exercise oncology, breast cancer treatments and side effects, cancer-specific barriers to exercise, exercise prescription and movement modifications for breast cancer survivors, survivor/athlete assessments and more.
What won’t change: What won’t change is Barbell for Boobs dedication and commitment to the community. “We are excited for the future. We are excited to improve the quality of life after diagnosis and redefine the standard of breast health care,” Chris Hanson wrote us in an email. “We will always support any breast concern sent our way.”
“As long as we know people are healthy, and going to CrossFit, we’re happy,” said Zionna.
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